Yankees, Astros set ALCS Game 7 lineups

The starting lineups for Game 7 of the American League Championship Series presented by Camping World have been announced.
In one winner-take-all game to decide the pennant, the Astros face off against the Yankees at Minute Maid Park.. The winner moves on to face the Dodgers in the World Series presented by YouTube TV. Right-hander Charlie Morton will take the mound for Houston, with left-hander CC Sabathia starting for New York.
With their season on the line, the Yankees won't change a thing. They'll run out the same lineup that they did in Game 6 against Justin Verlander.
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That means alternating left-handed and right-handed bats throughout their order. Brett Gardner will lead off, followed by Aaron Judge -- who homered for the third time in the series in Game 6, providing the Yanks' only run -- Didi Gregorius, Gary Sánchez, Greg Bird and Starlin Castro. The switch-hitting Aaron Hicks will bat seventh, followed by Todd Frazier batting eighth. Chase Headley, who leads the Yankees with a .467 batting average in the ALCS, rounds out the order in the ninth spot.
YANKEES

1. Brett Gardner, LF
   
2. Aaron Judge, RF
   
3. Didi Gregorius, SS
   
4. Gary Sanchez, C
   
5. Greg Bird, 1B
   
6. Starlin Castro, 2B
   
7. Aaron Hicks, CF
   
8. Todd Frazier, 3B
   
9. Chase Headley, DH
   CC Sabathia, P
   Facing Sabathia, the Astros have stacked their batting order with right-handed hitters. They'll be using a lineup similar to the one they used against Sabathia in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. Alex Bregman, who hit sixth in Game 6 and helped key Houston's fifth- and eighth-inning outbursts, will once again move up and bat second against Sabathia in Game 7. Josh Reddick, who had been hitting second against the Yanks' right-handers but is hitless in 21 ALCS at-bats, will start in Game 7 but bat ninth.
   Houston will also keep Brian McCann in the starting lineup, the only other left-handed hitter starting for the Astros in Game 7. As it did in Game 6, Houston will start both McCann and Evan Gattis, with McCann catching and Gattis at designated hitter.
   With Reddick in right field and the switch-hitting Marwin Gonzalez in left, Cameron Maybin is the odd man out of the lineup. Maybin, a right-handed hitter who started in left field against Sabathia in Game 3, will not start in Game 7. Maybin has the platoon advantage against Sabathia, but he had a bad defensive misplay in Game 3, allowing Greg Bird's fly ball down the left-field line to fall in front of him and bounce over the wall for a ground-rule double.
   "As for Reddick, I understand he hasn't had a terrific offensive series, but he's had a spectacular defensive series," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "Not knowing how they're going to operate across the way with the Yankees -- is Sabathia going to be in there one time through the order or three times through the order? It's not a perfect matchup offensively, especially since he's run into bad luck and bad swings in this series.
   "He will grind out an at-bat. There's going to be a big at-bat where he's a key component. I love his defense, I love his presence and I love his fight."

ASTROS

1. George Springer, CF
   
2. Alex Bregman, 3B
   
3. Jose Altuve, 2B
   
4. Carlos Correa, SS
   
5. Yuli Gurriel, 1B
   
6. Evan Gattis, DH
   
7. Brian McCann, C
   
8. Marwin Gonzalez, LF
   
9. Josh Reddick, RF
   Charlie Morton, P