HOUSTON -- The frustration oozed out of Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez with every word he spoke to reporters in a hushed clubhouse on Sunday afternoon. It was only moments before that the stoic Alvarez did something he hasn’t done much in his career, speaking up in a players’ meeting following a sweep at the hands of the Braves.
“Basically for us, it was three slaps in the face they gave us right in front of our fans, especially,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “Just use tomorrow to take it as a reset day and rest, and then the only thing left is to go out there and win the six games we have left.”
Six games on the road -- two against the Mariners in Seattle and four against the A’s in West Sacramento -- are the only games still guaranteed on the Astros’ schedule this season, but they’re hoping for more. Sunday afternoon’s 4-2 loss to the Braves at Daikin Park was Houston’s 10th in its past 14 games, dropping the Astros to 77-79.
“We have six chances to go out there and make the playoffs,” said Alvarez, who is chasing an American League MVP and Triple Crown entering the regular season’s final week.
The Rangers (78-78) lost to the Blue Jays, so the Astros remain one game back of the AL West leaders, in addition to holding the tiebreaker over Texas. But Houston has very little room for error.
“Listen, we’ve got to use tomorrow to really gather our thoughts and get a good plan together for the next week,” manager Joe Espada said. “No doubt about it that we need to bounce back and really dig deep and fight, because this series was not what we were expecting.”
Sunday’s script was reminiscent of Saturday’s 6-3 loss, when Braves slugger Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh. The Astros’ led, 1-0, through five innings on Sunday before Bryan King allowed all four batters he faced to reach, capped by MIke Yastrzemski’s three-run homer in the sixth that made it 4-1.
The Astros went 0-for-3 with the bases loaded and did little to back starting pitcher Hunter Brown, who struck out 10 batters in five scoreless innings. Brown also walked three batters and was pulled after throwing 98 pitches, but Houston’s battered bullpen couldn’t hold the lead for the second game in a row.
“We can still make a big push here,” Brown said. “We’re right in it. We’re not dead yet. That’s what we’re going to do, give it our all these last six games and find out where we are after that.”
Alvarez refused to divulge what was said in his speech or who else spoke up, but outfielder Taylor Trammell said his message carried weight.
“He doesn’t talk much and when he speaks, there’s a presence,” Trammell said. “This was not a ‘hoorah’ or anything like that. It’s just like, ‘Hey guys, Easy. Just be easy with it,’ and hearing it from him, it means something. You see the way he’s played all year and you can’t tell me there hasn’t been any nicks or bangs for him. And he’s going out there every single day and being the best hitter in the game right now. That’s what he’s doing. And so when he says something and he talks, you listen.”
Veteran first baseman Christian Walker said Alvarez’s speech stressed a sense of urgency facing the Astros, who were knocked out of first place on Saturday for the first time since late July. Houston missed the postseason by one game last year, ending its run of eight consecutive playoff appearances.
Alvarez challenged his teammates to get back to October.
“Everybody is going to receive things differently, but younger guys who haven’t been to the postseason, it feels like there’s a lot of pressure right now, and there is,” Walker said. “And that’s a good thing, because we played ourselves into a spot to be competitive. I think any time a vet can address the team, especially somebody like Yordan, if nothing else, for everybody to feel the calmness he brings to the table. That can be helpful.”
The Mariners (73-83), whose slim playoff hopes are still alive, would love nothing more to spoil it for the Astros, who are 2-9 against Seattle. Houston ends the season playing in a Minor League ballpark in West Sacramento that can be about as unpredictable as it gets and wants to leave nothing to chance.
“These next two teams have nothing to lose,” Walker said. “Their goal is to knock us out. I’ve been on teams where we’ve been in that position before and it can be a dangerous spot. I think it’s a good reminder to come into these cities with a fire and a sense of urgency, and prepare to come in and win some baseball games.”