ASTROS SWEEP THE SERIES
Yordan Alvarez homers twice as Astros complete sweep of Royals with 7-2 win
Sep 2, 2024, 10:30 am
Astros defeat the Royals, 7-2. Composite Getty Image.
Yordan Alvarez homered twice and Jon Singleton added a two-run shot as the Houston Astros completed a four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 7-2 win Sunday.
It’s Houston’s fifth straight win overall and comes after the Royals swept a three-game series against the AL West leaders at home in April.
“They kicked our butts early in the season in Kansas City when we were not playing our best,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “But that's why you play 162 and we are a different club. We're getting closer to our goal and we're playing with a different type of intensity and focus and we demonstrated that this series.”
Kansas City lost a season-high fifth straight game to fall into a tie with Minnesota for second in the AL Central, 3 1/2 games behind division-leading Cleveland. The losing streak comes after the Royals won the first of three games of a four-game set against the Guardians and moved into a tie for the division lead. Cleveland and the Royals open another three-game series in Kansas City on Monday.
“The whole series was frustrating,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “We didn’t come out of here with any wins. That’s what we play for, is to win every day. So that stinks.”
It’s the sixth multi-homer game for Alvarez this season and his second this week after the Cuban slugger tied a career high with three home runs in Wednesday’s 10-0 rout of the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies.
Alvarez connected off Alec Marsh (7-8) in the fourth inning before Singleton’s shot made it 3-0. Alvarez belted his 30th home run of the season off Sam Long to start the sixth. He joins Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell as the only players in franchise history with at least four consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs.
He nearly had another three homer game Sunday, but Tommy Pham caught his fly ball in the eighth inning on the track, just in front of the bullpen.
Sunday was the first time since June 22 that Alvarez homered at Minute Maid Park.
“When I hit the ball, there was like a stress that just left me,” Alvarez said in Spanish through a translator. “Obviously, there had been a while where I hadn’t been hitting the ball for homers here. So I hit that one, then came the other one and then almost the third one came. So hopefully that bad streak is gone."
Houston starter Ronel Blanco (10-6) allowed three hits and struck out three in five innings for his first win since July 9.
Yuli Gurriel hit an RBI single for Kansas City in the sixth and Bobby Witt Jr. homered for a second straight game with a solo shot in the seventh. Gurriel made his debut with the Royals on Sunday after being acquired from Atlanta on Saturday for cash considerations.
The Astros led by three runs when MJ Melendez walked with one out in the sixth and Freddie Fermin singled. Gurriel then singled on a line drive to left field, scoring Melendez and cutting the lead to 3-1.
Witt collected his 30th home run of the season with one out in the seventh, when he connected off Héctor Neris for a second straight game. Witt, who leads the major leagues in hits, batting average and runs, was 0 for 11 in the series before his home run on Saturday.
The Astros padded the lead in the eighth when Yainer Diaz hit an RBI double and Jeremy Peña scored two more on a single to make it 7-2.
Marsh permitted four hits and three runs in five innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: OF Kyle Tucker, who has been out since fouling a ball off his shin June 3, continues to improve and could return next week. … 3B Alex Bregman missed a third straight game with elbow inflammation Sunday. But manager Joe Espada said the swelling is almost gone and he should return to the lineup Monday.
WELCOME BACK
Gurriel, who spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Astros, was given a big ovation when he was introduced before the game. Houston fans also cheered loudly for him each time he came to the plate.
The 40-year-old helped the Astros to two World Series titles and won a Gold Glove Award and the AL batting title in 2021.
Gurriel played his first game in the majors this season on Sunday after spending the year in Atlanta’s minor league system.
UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (11-6, 3.50 ERA) opposes Cleveland RHP Gavin Williams (2-7, 4.99) when Kansas City opens a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday.
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (3-4, 4.16) will start the opener of a three-game series at Cincinnati on Monday. The Reds haven’t released their rotation for the series.
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It was midway through the third quarter of the Oklahoma City-Houston NBA Cup semifinal matchup on Saturday night. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just made a short jumper in the lane and, to his delight, a time-out was immediately called.
He needed it.
He retreated to midcourt, crouched down, propped himself up by his fingertips and took deep breath after deep breath. It was that sort of night. And given the way the Rockets and Thunder have defended all season long, such a game was predictable.
In the end, it was Oklahoma City 111, Houston 96 in a game where the teams combined to shoot 41%. The immediate reward for the Thunder: two days off to recover. The bigger reward: a matchup with Milwaukee on Tuesday night for the NBA Cup, with more than $300,000 per player the difference between winning and losing.
“That's what defense does for you,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, whose team has held opponents to 41% shooting or worse a league-best 11 times this season — and is 11-0 in those games. “It keeps you in games.”
The Rockets-Thunder semifinal was basketball, with elements of football, rugby, hockey and probably even some wrestling thrown in. It wasn't unusual. It's how they play: defense-first, tough, gritty, physical.
They are the two top teams in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage defense — Oklahoma City came in at 42.7%, Houston at 43.4% — and entered the night as two of the top three in scoring defense. Orlando led entering Saturday at 103.7 per game, Oklahoma City was No. 2 at 103.8, Houston No. 3 at 105.9. (The Thunder, by holding Houston to 96, passed the Magic for the top spot on Saturday.)
Houston finished 36.5% from the field, its second-worst showing of the season. When the Rockets shoot 41% or better, they're 17-4. When they don't, they're 0-5.
“Sometimes it comes down to making shots,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Especially in the first half, we guarded well enough. ... But you put a lot of pressure on your defense when you're not making shots.”
Even though scoring across the NBA is down slightly so far this season, about a point per game behind last season's pace and two points from the pace of the 2022-23 season, it's still a golden age for offense in the league. Consider: Boston scored 51 points in a quarter earlier this season.
Saturday was not like most games. The halftime score: Rockets 42, Thunder 41. Neither team crossed the 50-point mark until Dillon Brooks' 3-pointer for Houston gave the Rockets a 51-45 lead with 8:46 left in the third quarter.
Brooks is generally considered one of the game's tougher defenders. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the game's best scorers. They're teammates on Canada's national team, and they had some 1-on-1 moments on Saturday.
“It's fun. It makes you better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That's what this league is about, competing against the best in the world and defensively, he is that for sure. And I like to think that of myself offensively. He gives me a chance to really see where I'm at, a good test. I'd say I handled it pretty well.”
Indeed he did. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points, the fifth instance this season of someone scoring that many against the Rockets. He's done it twice, and the Thunder scored 70 points in the second half to pull away.
“We knew that if we kept getting stops we would give ourselves a chance,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And we did so.”