Houston @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2014 ) Houston 5, NY Yankees 2

The New York Yankees have been one of baseball's most dominant home teams over the past 20 years but they are on pace for their first losing season at Yankee Stadium since 1991. The Houston Astros have posted back-to-back wins in New York and can complete a three-game sweep in Thursday afternoon's series finale. The slumping Yankees have dropped seven of nine to fall to 29-31 at home and are five games back in the race for the American League's second wild card.

A stagnant offense continues to plague New York, which has scored a total of 20 runs over the past nine games and is 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of the series. "We've got to score more than two runs. It's hard to win when you only score two runs," manager Joe Girardi told reporters. Houston entered the season with a 2-13 record versus the Yankees, but the Astros have won four of five meetings in 2014 and posted their first-ever series win at Yankee Stadium.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Houston, YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (10-8, 3.11 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Brandon McCarthy (7-12, 4.24)

Keuchel gave up three runs over seven innings at Boston last time out but remained winless over his last three starts and has won only once in six turns since the All-Star break. Keuchel has surrendered one home run in each of his last four outings after yielding a total of six in his first 19 starts of the season. Although he is 7-3 with a 3.17 ERA away from home, Keuchel has only one win over his last seven road starts.

McCarthy has dropped back-to-back outings following a four-start winning streak, although the Yankees didn't help him out by failing to score in each of the losses. Still, McCarthy has permitted two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last nine turns and is 4-2 with a 2.30 ERA since he was acquired from Arizona. He is 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA against the Astros, but was tagged for five runs in six innings in a loss at Houston on June 11.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees OF-DH Carlos Beltran had a cortisone shot in his ailing elbow Wednesday and will sit out his second straight game.

2. Astros CF Dexter Fowler is 9-for-21 with a homer, double and triple during a five-game hitting streak.

3. Yankees C Brian McCann is 1-for-12 since coming off the seven-day concussion list.

PREDICTION: Yankees 5, Astros 3