Yordan Alvarez hits solo homer, slam as the Astros rout Brewers 12-2

MILWAUKEE – Yordan Alvarez was feeling more comfortable than usual, which created plenty of discomfort for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Alvarez had a grand slam among his two homers as the Houston Astros pounded the Brewers 12-2 on Monday night for their eighth consecutive victory. Alvarez hit a solo shot off Corbin Burnes in the fifth inning and capped a five-run outburst in the sixth with a basesloaded blast against Hoby Milner.

“I just felt very comfortable at the batter’s box today,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “I think when I get to the stadium and I feel comfortable at the batter’s box, I think good things can happen. I was seeing the ball really well.”

The game marked the third time in his career that Alvarez homered in back-to-back innings. He has 12 homers this season. Over his last four games, Alvarez has gone 7 of 15 with three homers and seven RBIs.

“The big fella, he can just hit,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “He can really hit. He’s one of the best hitters in this game and one of the best that I’ve seen.”

Corey Julks, Martín Maldonado and Mauricio Dubón also went deep against Burnes (4-4) to help the Astros post season highs in runs, hits (15) and homers (five). Alvarez went 3 for 4 with five RBIs, and Julks was 3 of 5 with three RBIs.

Burnes allowed four homers in a game for the first time in his career. The 2021 Cy Young Award winner hadn’t given up three homers in a start since 2019.

“For the most part, we threw the ball pretty well,” Burnes said. “We made mistakes to good hitters, and good hitters hit the ball out of the ballpark.”

Astros starter Cristian Javier (4-1) struck out five and allowed four hits, one run and one walk in six innings. Javier has worked 25 innings and yielded seven runs over his last four starts.

Julks and Maldonado went deep in the second inning as the Astros took a two-run lead. Julks lined a 2-1 sinker over the wall in left-center for a 401-foot blast. Maldonado ripped a 411-foot drive into the left-field seats on a 2-1 cutter.

Milwaukee cut the lead to 2-1 on Rowdy Tellez’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the second, but a brilliant play by center fielder Jake Meyers prevented the Brewers from tying the game. The Brewers had a runner on first with two out when Owen Miller ripped a shot to deep center field. Meyers stretched out his right arm to make the catch as his shoulder banged into the wall.

“It was tremendous,” Javier said through an interpreter while discussing Meyers’ catch. “Obviously it’s big for me. I can go as far as saying that was the key to the game, keeping it there at 2-1.”

The Astros eventually broke the game open.

Dubón led off the fifth with a 409-foot drive to left-center on a 1-0 slider. Two batters later, Alvarez sent a 1-0 cutter over the wall in right-center, a 425-foot shot.

Once Burnes departed, Houston feasted on Milwaukee’s bullpen.

Elvis Peguero replaced Burnes and allowed four runs in one-third of an inning. After the Astros loaded the bases against Peguero, Alvarez sent Milner’s first pitch over the wall in left-center.

With the game out of hand, Brewers infielder Mike Brosseau pitched a scoreless ninth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: 2B Jose Altuve wasn’t in the lineup two nights after making his 2023 debut. The eight-time All-Star had missed the Astros’ first 43 games of the season due to a fractured right thumb. “It’s still spring training for him,” Baker said before the game. “We’ve got to take care of his legs and everything else.” … LHP Parker Mushinski was activated from the 10-day injured list. The Astros optioned LHP Matt Gage to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Brewers: LHP Eric Lauer went on the 15-day injured list with impingement to his right shoulder. The Brewers already had starting pitchers Brandon Woodruff, Wade Miley and Aaron Ashby on the injured list due to shoulder issues. The Brewers recalled RHP Tyson Miller from Triple-A Nashville. … IF Luis Urías is expected to begin a rehabilitation assignment Tuesday or Wednesday with Nashville. Urías injured his hamstring in the season opener and hasn’t played since.

UP NEXT

RHP J.P. France (1-0, 4.11 ERA) starts for the Astros and RHP Colin Rea (0-3, 5.52) pitches for the Brewers as the three-game series continues Tuesday night.

LOS ANGELES – Despite battling injuries all season, the New York Yankees are still managing to pick up victories.

With AL MVP Aaron Judge sidelined after injuring his foot on Saturday, the Yankees got strong pitching and were able to use a little bit of small ball to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 Sunday and take two of three games in the weekend series.

“Just a really good all-around effort. A lot of winning things were happening in that game,” manager Aaron Boone said.

New York plated runs in the seventh and eighth innings on soft-contract grounders before Anthony Volpe provided some insurance with a two-run homer in the ninth.

J.D. Martinez homered for the Dodgers, who dropped the final two games in the series.

Clay Holmes (4-2) pitched one inning to pick up the win, and Wandy Peralta got the last four outs for his fourth save.

It was a pitchers’ duel for six innings between the Yankees’ Domingo Germán and Dodgers’ Bobby Miller. The right-handers matched zeroes as the teams combined for only four hits in the first six innings.

Dodgers’ rookie Miller allowed only one hit in his six innings, becoming the first Dodgers’ pitcher since at least 1901 to allow one hit or fewer within his first three big league starts. The 24-year old right-hander struck out seven and walked two in his third start.

Germán went 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run and four hits, including Martinez’s solo shot to tie it at 1-all in the seventh. The right-hander has limited opponents to one run or fewer in four of his last six starts.

Jake Bauers – who was playing right field in place of Judge – scored the game’s first run in the seventh on Kyle Higashioka‘s broken-bat grounder to short.

Bauers got aboard with a base hit then advanced to third when Brusdar Graterol threw the ball away on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s bunt.

After Martinez’s homer, the Yankees retook the lead in the eighth against Evan Phillips (1-1). Oswaldo Cabrera drove in Anthony Rizzo with the go-ahead run with a slow roller that second baseman Miguel Vargas could only throw to first.

“It not being hit well helps when the fielders have to move a little. That’s what you’re selling out for. Good job by the base runners there,” Boone said.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said both balls could not have been placed any better by the Yankees’ batters.

“I don’t think they had a chance on both balls. The base runners had such a good jump. They were jam shots,” Roberts said. “There were a lot of things we did as far as giving away a couple bases on the defensive side.”

Volpe had two hits after being mired in a 3-for-38 slump his last 11 games. He extended the lead by driving Caleb Ferguson’s fastball over the wall in left-center in the ninth. It was Volpe’s ninth homer, which is second among AL rookies.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence,” said Volpe after the Yankees took four of six on the road trip.

BOMBS AWAY

Martinez evened it in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot to left-center. It was his 10th homer in the last 21 games.

Martinez has 20 homers against the Yankees, his third-most against any club. He has 35 against Baltimore and 23 vs. Cleveland. He is four homers away from 300 for his career.

MILLER TIME

Miller – the 29th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft – looked like he might have a short outing after throwing 27 pitches in the first inning. He struck out three but also walked two.

Miller retired seven straight between the third and fifth innings before Volpe lined a base hit to center field with two out in the fifth.

“It felt really good. Been working on my slider a lot lately.,” said Miller, who threw 86 pitches, including 39 sliders. “They know I have a good fastball so I have to have my other pitches working as well.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes is expected to be placed on the injured list Monday or Tuesday due to a shoulder issue. Manager Aaron Boone said Cortes has been slower to recover between starts and is likely to miss one or two starts. … LHP Carlos Rendon (left forearm strain) will face hitters on Wednesday.

Dodgers: OF Trayce Thompson was placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain. OF Johnny Deluca was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

UP NEXT

Yankees: Return home for six games starting Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-5, 5.01 ERA) has gone at least five innings in six of his last eight starts.

Dodgers: Hit the road starting Tuesday against Cincinnati. RHP Tony Gonsolin (3-1, 1.77 ERA) has gone 3-0 in his last four starts.

Alvarez hits solo homer, slam as the Astros rout Brewers 12-2 for eighth straight win

Yankees score runs in final three innings for 4-1 victory over Dodgers