Yankees' bullpen stumbles in back-and-forth loss to Astros

The Yankees bullpen faltered in a nail-biting 9-7 defeat to the Astros on Tuesday night. Houston out-hit New York, 14-10. As the Rays lost and the Red Sox won earlier in the day, the Yankees stayed 3.5 games back from Tampa in the AL East, while Boston trailed by 1.5 games. Here are the key points:

Cody Bellinger's power surge helped lift the Yankees off the injured list, sending them to a 3-2 lead in the third inning. Bellinger's first homer since June 17 was a three-run blast, but he only went 1-for-5. Luis Garcia Jr. added to the Yankees' offense with two home runs, one in the fifth and another in the seventh. Garcia finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs.

Will Warren struggled throughout the game, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out four batters after tossing 97 pitches. The Yankees' bullpen couldn't secure the lead, with Fernando Cruz allowing a two-run homer to Jeremy Pena in the sixth, tying the game at 5-5. Brent Headrick's eighth-inning solo homer for Diaz extended the Astros' lead to 6-5.

Yordan Alvarez's triple in the ninth put the Astros ahead, 8-6, with Isaac Paredes' single sealing the victory. Bradley Hanner provided insurance with a run in the ninth as Jazz Chisholm Jr. brought the Yankees within one with an RBI single in the eighth.

Lombard made a throwing error in the first, making it his fourth error in his last four games. Cody Bellinger's three-run home run was named Game MVP.