The American League East is starting to take shape as teams make their moves to get ahead of the pack. With a mix of high-scoring games and defensive showdowns, Monday’s games provided plenty of excitement for fans. Here’s a rundown of the matchups:

Yankees vs. Astros

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• Clarke Schmidt struggled in his second start of the year, allowing five runs in four innings of work.
• The Yankees mounted a comeback in the late innings, scoring two runs in the seventh and eighth innings to make it a two-run game.
• Aaron Judge was unable to come through in the clutch, falling short of tying the game for his team.

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1. Yankees lost 6-4 to the Astros, giving their AL East foes a chance to trim their already small division lead.

Houston Astros vs. Toronto Blue Jays

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• Hunter Brown pitched a dominant seven-inning shutout, striking out nine and walking just one.
• Toronto’s bats were unable to get their timing against Brown, picking up at least one K in every inning he pitched except for the fourth.
• The Astros took a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning, and Brown stayed out for the seventh inning before Forrest Whitley came in for two perfect innings of relief.

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1. The Astros won 7-0 against the Blue Jays, climbing back to even in the standings.

Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox

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• Walker Buehler pitched seven innings of one-run ball against the White Sox, striking out nine and allowing just two singles to lead off the game.
• Buehler collected nine total punchouts as the White Sox never managed to get past second base from then on against him.
• The Red Sox nearly tied the game in the first, but couldn’t capitalize, before taking the lead with a two-run single from Kristian Campbell in the third.

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1. The Red Sox won 4-2 against the White Sox, improving their record to 13-11.

Game Recaps

The Yankees fell short in their second start of the year, despite a late comeback attempt. Clarke Schmidt struggled in his outing, allowing five runs in four innings of work. The Yankees eventually mounted a comeback in the late innings, scoring two runs in the seventh and eighth innings to make it a two-run game. However, Aaron Judge was unable to come through in the clutch, falling short of tying the game for his team. The Yankees ultimately lost 6-4 to the Astros, giving their AL East foes a chance to trim their already small division lead. In the other game, the Astros took a dominant 7-0 shutout victory over the Blue Jays. Hunter Brown pitched seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out nine and walking just one. Toronto’s bats were unable to get their timing against Brown, picking up at least one K in every inning he pitched except for the fourth. The Astros took a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning, and Brown stayed out for the seventh inning before Forrest Whitley came in for two perfect innings of relief to complete the shutout. The Red Sox also had a strong outing, with Walker Buehler pitching seven innings of one-run ball against the White Sox. Buehler collected nine total punchouts as the White Sox never managed to get past second base from then on against him. The Red Sox took the lead in the third inning with a two-run single from Kristian Campbell, and held on for a 4-2 victory. Standings Update
With Monday’s results, the Red Sox improved their record to 13-11, while the Astros remained at 11-11. The Yankees fell to 8-12, and the White Sox dropped to 5-17. The division is starting to take shape, with the Red Sox and Astros in a heated battle for first place. The Yankees are still in the hunt, but will need to pick up the pace if they want to make a run for the top spot. The White Sox, on the other hand, are in a tough spot, struggling to find consistency in their lineup.