The New York Yankees are getting close to being eliminated by the Houston Astros, yet again. The Bronx Bombers have fallen into a 2-0 series hole against the Astros in the ALCS ahead of Saturday's Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.

Can the Yankees beat the Astros? New York's chances of making a comeback are not exceptionally high.

The Yankees have +480 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook to beat the Astros in the ALCS. Houston is a -600 favorite to reach the World Series for a second straight year.

It would be close to impossible for the Yankees to beat the Astros in the ALCS without winning Game 3. The 2004 Boston Red Sox are the only team in MLB history to win a playoff series after trailing 3-0. The Astros only had one four-game losing streak in the regular season, and it came all the way back in April.

New York is a -152 favorite to beat Houston in its first home game of the series. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole takes the mound for the first time against his former team in a postseason series. Cole went 2-0 in the ALDS, posting a 2.03 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 13.1 innings against the Cleveland Guardians.

Losing the first two games of the ALCS in Houston is nothing new for the Yankees, New York fell behind 2-0 against the Astros in the 2017 ALCS. The Yankees won all three games at home before Houston took the final two games of the series at Minute Maid Park.

In 2019, the series was tied at 1-1 when it shifted to Yankee Stadium for Game 3. The Astros won Game 3 and Game 4 on the road. Houston punched their ticket to the World Series with Jose Altuve's walkoff home run in Game 6. Cole was the winning pitcher for Houston in Game 3.

With Cole and Nestor Cortes ready to start the first two games in New York, the Yankees are set up to tie the series. Cortes was the team's best starter in the regular season with a 2.44 ERA. Cortes won the deciding game of the ALDS on three days' rest, throwing five innings of one-run ball.

Pitching was not the Yankees' biggest issue in Houston. New York only gave up seven total runs in the two defeats. The Yankees were held to a pair of runs in each game, striking out a total of 30 times.

After sweeping the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS and beating the Yankees twice, Houston is a perfect 5-0 this postseason. The Astros survived Justin Verlander giving up six runs in their playoff opener when Yordan Alvarez hit a walkoff, three-run home run. In their last four postseason games, Houston has given up six total runs across 45 innings.

Including the regular season and playoffs, the Yankees are 0-5 in Houston this year. The Yankees and Astros split their four-game series at Yankee Stadium in June, but New York never held a lead in any game until the contest was over. Aaron Judge delivered two walkoff hits for New York's victories.

Unless the AL Home Run King and the rest of the Yankees' lineup turn things around quickly, New York is looking at a third ALCS defeat at the hands of Houston in the last six seasons.

Aaron Judge Yankees
Aaron Judge #99 and Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Guardians in game four of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 16, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. Dylan Buell/Getty Images