'He's must-watch': Alvarez mashes HR No. 11 as Astros claim series

CLEVELAND -- Major League home run leader Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run shot in the first inning during a 3-for-4 day to raise his average to .347, lifting the Astros to a 2-0 victory over the Guardians at Progressive Field in their series finale on Wednesday afternoon.

Alvarez’s homer was his 11th of the season, tying Lance Berkman for the most in franchise history through 26 games and extending his hitting streak to eight games. The three-time All-Star is batting .385 with five homers and 16 RBIs during the stretch.

"To be honest, 2026 Yordan is the closest I've seen to Barry Bonds,” Houston shortstop Carlos Correa said. “Definitely, this version of him is the best. I haven't missed one swing of his all year because he's must-watch.

“It’s almost like you expect him to make an out at some point because this game is so hard, but he just keeps raking.”

Astros manager Joe Espada and closer Enyel De Los Santos expressed similar sentiments about the 28-year-old designated hitter, whose magical first month of the season has him atop the Majors in eight offensive categories.

De Los Santos believes he has the best view in the ballpark, watching Alvarez every game from the bullpen.

“It feels awesome being on the same team with him,” De Los Santos said through interpreter Otto Loor. “If it was up to us, I wish he could hit one, two, three home runs a day. He’s a really good hitter, so you have to be very careful pitching to him.”

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 batting average ranks second to the .366 of Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages.

When told of Correa’s comparison to Bonds, Alvarez’s eyes lit up, and he smiled.

“Yeah, it’s nice to hear their comments, but it puts a little bit of pressure on myself,” he said through Loor. “I do appreciate everything they say. I’m just trying to find my spot and turning on a pitch, and I’m doing a good job right now.”

Alvarez's 11th homer came on a 1-2 fastball from Tanner Bibee and landed deep in the stands in right-center field, scoring Correa, who had led off the game with a double. The Statcast-projected 422-foot home run had a 108.8 mph exit velocity.

Correa also hammered the ball in his at-bat, sending a 108 mph liner over Guardians third baseman José Ramírez as Houston kept Bibee winless through six starts.

Two runs were all the Astros needed as Peter Lambert, AJ Blubaugh, Steven Okert and Enyel De Los Santos combined for a five-hitter. They allowed a lone runner to reach third base (George Valera in the fourth) while compiling Houston’s second shutout of the season.

“Our pitching today was really good,” Alvarez said. “This is a team. Today, it was me [with the big hit], and I was glad to help us win. Tomorrow, it will be someone else.”

Lambert, who spent the past two years pitching in the Korean Baseball Organization, earned his first win since April 8, 2024, with Colorado. The right-hander allowed three hits over six innings and struck out eight.

When Lambert was informed he wouldn’t make the team out of Spring Training, he agreed to be assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land. Espada didn’t imagine recalling him three weeks into the season, but losing 10 pitchers to the injured list presented an opportunity.

“Lambert came to the right organization, because we could help him,” Espada said. “He was open to some of our ideas and chose to stay in the organization. We told him, ‘Hey, at some point, we might need you,’ and he believed us.”

Correa provided the defensive highlight of the warm day, making an acrobatic tag on Daniel Schneemann to complete an inning-ending double play in the second. Schneemann was attempting to steal second base when Lambert struck out Bo Naylor.

Catcher Christian Vázquez fired the ball wide and short of the base, but Correa grabbed it and spun himself in the same motion, slapping his glove on Schneemann’s backside just before Schneemann's hand touched second.

“As a defender, nothing is more embarrassing than somebody avoiding my tag,” Correa said. “I take a lot of pride in it. I was going to find a way to get him.”

The Astros won two of three in the set and moved to 6-2 in Cleveland since 2024.