Yordan Alvarez hit his 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the first inning, to lead the Houston Astros to a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. The designated hitter went 3-for-4 and raised his batting average to .347 in the series finale on Wednesday. Houston's pitchers combined for a five-hitter shutout.
Alvarez, the Major League home run leader, connected on a 1-2 fastball from Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, sending a 422-foot drive with 108.8 mph exit velocity into the right-center field stands. It scored Carlos Correa, who had led off with a double. Correa added a 108 mph liner over third baseman José Ramírez later in the game, helping keep Bibee winless in six starts. Alvarez now leads the league in RBIs (26), hits (33), extra-base hits (19), total bases (74), on-base percentage (.466), slugging percentage (.779) and OPS (1.245). His average ranks second overall behind Andy Pages' .366 mark. The homer tied Lance Berkman for the most in franchise history through 26 games and extended Alvarez's hitting streak to eight games, during which he is batting .385 with five homers and 16 RBIs. Houston shortstop Carlos Correa praised Alvarez, saying, “2026 Yordan is the closest I've seen to Barry Bonds. Definitely, this version of him is the best.” Closer Enyel De Los Santos added through interpreter Otto Loor, “It feels awesome being on the same team with him.” Alvarez responded modestly: “It’s nice to hear their comments, but it puts a little bit of pressure on myself.” Peter Lambert earned the win with six innings of three-hit ball and eight strikeouts, his first since April 8, 2024, with Colorado after time in the Korean Baseball Organization. Relievers AJ Blubaugh, Steven Okert and De Los Santos closed out the five-hitter, Houston's second shutout this season. Correa provided a defensive highlight, tagging Daniel Schneemann on a steal attempt at second base. The Astros took two of three in the series and improved to 6-2 in Cleveland since 2024.
