NEW YORK _ There was a heart-stopping moment in the Houston Astros' dugout, during the fifth inning of Tuesday's Game 3.
As Didi Gregorius sent a fly ball to deep right field, the possibility of a go-ahead three-run homer briefly electrified Yankee Stadium, until Josh Reddick settled under it at the warning track.
A sellout crowd groaned. The Astros exhaled.
That's about as close as the Yankees got to Gerrit Cole, who tossed seven scoreless innings and gave the Astros control of the AL Championship Series.
Houston's co-ace overcame five walks and stranded nine Yankees on base, five in scoring position, in a 4-1 Astros win before 48,998 fans.
After winning 7-0 in Game 1, the Yankees have scored just three runs in their last 20 innings, allowing Houston to take a 2-1 lead in games in this best-of-seven.
And Wednesday's Game 4 carried a threat of postponement, due to a forecast of continued rain. That could push Game 4 to Thursday and Game 5 to Friday, erasing the scheduled travel date if the series requires Games 6 and 7 at Houston.
At least, the Yankees � who planned to utilize their bullpen in Game 4 � could bring back Masahiro Tanaka on regular rest if Game 4 is pushed to Thursday. Houston could make it a Game 1 rematch by bringing back starter Zack Greinke.
Still, "I don't think we've played the game all year for what-ifs, or what if it rains tomorrow," said reliever Chad Green, who had a chance to be the Yankees' Game 4 "opener" on Wednesday.
"You play the game to win today and that's it."
