Yordan Alvarez crushed his 34th home run of the season in the eighth inning Wednesday, a tiebreaking two-run blast that carried the Houston Astros to a 5-2 win over the visiting Miami Marlins and a complete three-game interleague sweep.
It was the third home run of the series for Alvarez, who now tops all of Major League Baseball in that category. With Jeremy Pena reaching base on a leadoff infield single, Alvarez drove an opposite-field shot to left-center off Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending Miami to its ninth straight defeat.
Alcantara had come into the eighth inning having thrown 97 pitches and appearing to be in command of the game. He had surrendered a leadoff homer to Pena in the third inning — Pena’s ninth of the year and third of the series — which gave Houston a 2-0 advantage. Alcantara did not allow another baserunner to reach scoring position until Alvarez connected.
Isaac Paredes, who had turned the tide with a three-run home run the previous night, followed Alvarez’s shot with a solo homer that chased Alcantara from the mound. Paredes’ 14th home run of the season traveled 398 feet to left-center.
In total, Alcantara gave up five runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out three over seven innings of work.
Astros right-hander Bryan Abreu closed things out with a perfect ninth inning, earning his sixth save of the season.
Houston starter Peter Lambert had a rocky beginning, needing 25 pitches just to get through the first inning. Otto Lopez and Heriberto Hernandez both singled, and Lambert then issued a two-out walk to Liam Hicks to load the bases. Griffin Conine came close to doing damage with a 391-foot fly ball to right-center, but Lucas Spence ran it down for the out, keeping Miami off the scoreboard.
That play began a stretch of nine consecutive batters retired by Lambert, who cruised through the second and third innings on just 17 pitches combined. However, after retiring two batters quickly in the fourth, Lambert walked Conine, opening the door for the Marlins to fight back.
Javier Sanoja drove in Conine with an RBI double, and one batter later Joe Mack added a run-scoring single to even the score at 2-2.
Lambert finished his outing having allowed two runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts across six innings.
Houston relievers Enyel De Los Santos and Steven Okert each tossed a scoreless inning in relief, with Okert improving to 3-1 on the season.
