Yordan Alvarez clubbed his fifth career grand slam as the Houston Astros pounded the visiting Athletics 13-2 on Saturday to win the three-game series between American League West rivals.
The Astros socked three home runs off Athletics right-hander Kade Morris (0-1), who endured a forgettable major league debut. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Jose Altuve also hit homers off Morris.
Isaac Paredes’ sacrifice fly scored Alvarez and gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. When Alvarez came to the plate in the second, the bases were full with one out.
Wade, playing his second game with the Astros after signing with Houston on Thursday, led off the second with his first home run of the season, an opposite-field shot to left field that doubled the Astros’ lead. Morris recorded a called third strike against Jake Meyers two batters later, but he sandwiched walks to Taylor Trammell and Jeremy Pena around a Christian Vazquez single.
Alvarez followed the Pena walk by yanking a 1-0 changeup from Morris 369 feet out to right, his 22nd home run extending the lead to 6-0. Alvarez finished 1-for-3 with a walk and four RBIs, and he leads the AL in two of the three Triple Crown categories: homers and RBIs (48). His .316 batting average is second to Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz (.326).
Altuve led off the third with his fifth home run, and the Astros chased Morris with a six-run fifth. Wade delivered a two-run double off Athletics reliever Jose Suarez that plated Christian Walker and Paredes. Meyers and Vazquez added run-scoring hits, and Pena posted a two-run double.
Morris allowed nine runs on nine hits and three walks with four strikeouts over four-plus innings.
All nine starters recorded at least one hit for the Astros. Wade finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Walker, Paredes and Vazquez recorded two hits apiece.
Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (3-3) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over five innings. He surrendered an RBI single to Tyler Soderstrom that scored Nick Kurtz and walked Zack Gelof with the bases loaded as part of the Athletics’ two-run third.
–Field Level Media
