WHAT A DEBUT FOR ALVAREZ
Alvarez clubs 2-run homer in major league debut to help make a winner of Miley
While his Astros teammates strolled memory lane, remembering their own big league debuts courtesy of Yordan Alvarez’s impressive unveiling, Wade Miley declined to submerge himself in nostalgia.
He was too busy submerged in a vital start on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.
“I had some other things to worry about,” Miley said, smiling.
Such as quieting Baltimore’s bats, which the lefthander did in sturdy fashion during the Astros’ 4-0 victory over the Orioles in the series finale.
“He’s just very consistent, competes, adjusts and adapts,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said of Miley.
Meantime Alvarez, who arrived from Class AAA about two hours prior to Sunday’s 1:10 p.m. game, showed off his ability to adjust to pitching in the majors —– or at least what passes for big league pitching via the wobbling Orioles — by launching a two-run homer in the fourth.
Alvarez’s 413-foot no-doubter onto the balcony in left-center field in his second at-bat lifted the Astros to a 2-0 lead after they failed to register a hit over the first three innings. Yuli Gurriel had singled against Orioles starter Dylan Bundy just prior to Alvarez’s historic swing.
“A great moment,” the Cubanborn Alvarez said of his homer, which electrified the crowd of more than 35,000.
He had slugged 23 homers at Round Rock prior to his call to the majors. Miley (6-3) watched Alvarez’s opposite-field blast drop into the standing crowd and sighed in relief in the dugout.
“It re-energized everybody,” Miley said.
The Astros (45-22) have matched the best start over 67 games in franchise history, equaling 2017, when they won the World Series.
“It’s been quite a grind,” Hinch said of his team’s playing 10 games in 10 days, including three that went extra innings.
The Astros had opened the se
ries against one of baseball’s worst teams with a 4-3 victory in 11 innings before falling 4-1 on Saturday. The lack of offense carried over into Sunday, prior to Alvarez’s long ball, an RBI single by Josh Reddick in the sixth, and a sacrifice fly by Gurriel that scored Alex Bregman in the eighth.
Bregman had reached base after absorbing a fastball in the left forearm from Evan Phillips.
“I was happy I got on first base — it was a horrible series,” said Bregman, who went 0-for-13 in the three games. “I was glad I was able to contribute in that way.”
Bregman contributed greatly in the field, making three strong plays at third base in the first three innings, including squashing an Orioles uprising in the third by adeptly snagging a hard grounder, stepping on third and firing to first for the double play.
“I forget about it sometimes because he’s so good over there,” Miley said of the slick-fielding Bregman. “He got me out of a little jam there.”
Miley’s biggest jam was to come four innings later when the Orioles loaded the bases with no outs and the Astros clinging to a 3-0 lead in the seventh. Hinch turned to reliever Ryan Pressly, who coaxed a ground ball by Anthony Santander to Bregman, who fired home to catcher Robinson Chirinos for the force out.
Two harmless fly balls later, Pressly, who had struggled in his prior couple of outings, had escaped the Orioles’ lone real threat of the afternoon.
“You’re always going to be put in crappy situations,” Pressly said with a shrug of the role of a reliever. “The best thing to do is be comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Miley, who gave up six hits over his six-plus innings, has allowed three or fewer runs in his last five starts.
“Wade makes it easy on us,” Bregman said. “He pounds the zone, throws a lot of strikes and works really quick. He keeps us on our toes out there, and we’re always expecting action with the cutter he throws. He knows he’s going to get ground balls to the left side.”
The American League-leading Astros are 10-0-1 in their last 11 series and haven’t lost a series in more than a month. Hinch was crossing his fingers they could get to a much needed day off on Monday without lapsing into a semislump against the sad-sack Orioles (20-45).
“We got to the off day, which is a miracle,” he said. “We needed this. I don’t care if you’re young, old, if you were here to start the year here or if you weren’t. This entire group should sleep well tonight and have a good day off.”