"There's no way in the world the Yankees are going to beat the Astros" - MLB insider predicts Houston Astros dominating New York Yankees in a contest to reach the World Series

While the New York Yankees have been struggling, the Houston Astros have been on fire. Houston had an offensive surge Sunday afternoon in Chicago against the White Sox, putting up 21 runs in a statement win. The dominating performance has some within the MLB thinking the Astros have what it takes to win the World Series this season.

"There's no way in the world the Yankees are going to beat the Astros if it has to go between those two teams to get to the World Series." - MLB Network

The New York Yankees have been slumping lately, losing their last three series as well as the first game of the current Toronto Blue Jays series yesterday.

Andrew Benintendi is struggling to find his form since joining the New York Yankees.

While still in first place in the American League East, the Yankees have turned into a completely different ball club. The team started out the year with a scorching offense, but runs have been hard to come by in the last few games.

With the New York Yankees bats quiet, the Houston Astros don't need to rely on home runs to score

With the sharp skills of Jeremy Pena, the Astros haven't felt the loss of All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa.

Live by the long ball; die by the long ball. Houston has a well-balanced lineup from top to bottom. They lost their All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa in the off-season, but Jeremy Pena has been a surprisingly solid replacement. Batting .251 with 15 home runs this year, he has been a reliable bat at the bottom of the lineup.

Houston also added Trey Mancini to their roster during the trade deadline. Mancini provides an extra power bat for this lineup. Since joining the team, he has made his presence felt.

"Trey Mancini goes yard!" - Talkin' Baseball

Mancini is a great power bat alongside Yordan Alvarez, who is also having a wonderful season. Hitters like Jose Altuve also excel at getting on base. From top to bottom, this lineup is full of great hitters.

On the mound, Justin Verlander is having a Cy Young-caliber year this year. He has been dominant all year, posting a 15-3 record with a 1.95 ERA. With a dominant Verlander and the addition of McCullers, this team is going to be hard for the Yankees to beat in a playoff series.