Yordan Alvarez hit two home runs and matched his career-best with four hits, while Cristian Javier and four relievers combined to allow only one hit as the Houston Astros defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-0 on Wednesday night.
Javier, the starting pitcher, surrendered the lone hit and pitched for five innings. The Astros’ bullpen, comprising Seth Martinez, Rafael Montero, Tayler Scott, and Dylan Coleman, each pitched one inning to secure the win.
This was the second game in the series where the Blue Jays failed to score a run, following Ronel Blanco’s no-hitter in a 10-0 victory on Monday night.
Alvarez had an outstanding performance after struggling in the earlier games of the season, hitting only three singles in the first six games. It was his 16th multi-homer game and the sixth time he recorded four hits in a game.
Manager Joe Espada expressed his satisfaction with Alvarez’s performance, emphasizing the importance of his strong hitting for the team. Alvarez credited his success to using bats from last year. Despite hitting two home runs, he believed two other hits he made would also leave the park.
The Astros managed to score against Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt, who gave up nine hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings, marking his second challenging start of the season.
Toronto’s only hit came from Daulton Varsho, who doubled in the second inning. Although the Blue Jays walked seven times, they struggled to produce offensively.
Houston continued to extend their lead with Jeremy Peña hitting a two-run homer and Jose Altuve adding a solo shot in the seventh inning, making it 8-0. Peña had a strong game with two hits and three RBIs.
Alvarez’s first home run came in the third inning, followed by an RBI double in the fourth inning. Chas McCormick and Peña added RBI singles in the fifth inning to further extend Houston’s lead. Alvarez’s second homer came in the sixth inning, solidifying the Astros’ dominance in the game.
