Stellar pitching had become the norm for the Yankees over the course of an eight-game winning streak that was snapped Sunday. New York pitchers posted a cumulative 1.75 ERA in that span.
Gil, however, struggled from the get-go Sunday, walking leadoff hitter Carlos Correa in the first before surrendering a two-out, two-run homer to Christian Walker, who sent a 3-2 changeup a Statcast-projected 432 feet to left-center field.
“He struggled to get swing-and-miss again,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Gil, who struck out no one Sunday after registering just two K’s in his previous start. “He’s just been struggling to get consistency with his delivery and fastball profile. A combination of not quite good enough command, the stuff not being as good as it is when Luis is at his very best -- add that up, and you struggle to get that swing-and-miss.”
After drawing a first-pitch ball from Gil in the third inning, Isaac Paredes put the Astros up 4-0 with a two-run homer off a 94.8 mph sinker.
Gil exited after walking Correa and surrendering a double to Yordan Alvarez to start the fifth. Both would score, charging Gil with six earned runs in his four-plus innings, during which he allowed five hits and three walks. The Astros whiffed on only three of his 83 pitches.
Gil, who was making his fourth start of the season, averaged 95.4 mph on his four-seam fastball and 94.4 mph on his sinker. But he said after Sunday’s loss he’s trying to add velocity.
“That’s what we’ve been working on -- how to be more consistent executing a good fastball with good velo,” Gil said through an interpreter. “Obviously when you have a little more velo, you can create more swing-and-miss.”
Gil, who won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, when he went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 29 starts covering 151 2/3 innings, saw his ERA jump to 6.05 for this season. In 19 1/3 innings, he has just nine strikeouts.
“I feel like if we keep working, the ERA is going to be where it used to be, the pitch execution is going to be there, and we’ll get the results we want,” Gil said.
With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón set to return in the near future, however, Gil likely had to perform at a high level to keep his spot in one of the best rotations in baseball. Given his struggles, it’s unclear what his role with the Yankees will be going forward.
Aside from Aaron Judge’s 10th home run, which came on his 34th birthday, the Yankees mustered little against Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti, who won for the third time in three starts this season. The right-hander allowed three hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings, impressing Boone along the way.
“I thought he had a really good breaking ball going. Command was excellent,” Boone said of Arrighetti. “Thought he had a good presence with the fastball on both sides [of the plate] and getting it elevated in a good way.”
A three-run ninth against Astros reliever Enyel De Los Santos gave the Yankees their 11th consecutive game with at least four runs. But it was too little too late in the wake of Arrighetti's dominant outing.