Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels

It’s a dilemma managers around the league are having to face on a routine basis: Do you pitch to Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez in a key spot late in the game, or do you put up four fingers and let him trot to first base? The Angels were reminded again on Tuesday night that you can’t win either way. After choosing to walk Alvarez to load the bases in the ninth inning Monday, which wound up backfiring in the Astros’ frantic four-run rally, the Angels chose to pitch to Alvarez with runners at first and third and two outs in the ninth Tuesday, only to watch him rip an RBI single to center to score Nick Allen and send Houston to a 3-2 win at Angel Stadium. “It’s tough,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Sometimes you just don’t know what to do. What’s the right thing to do? He has a good hitter behind him. It’s a really tough decision, and I’m glad that I don’t have to make that one.” The Astros (54-55), winners of seven of their last eight games, can get back to the .500 mark for the first time since they were 6-6 on April 7 with a win in Wednesday’s series finale. Right-hander Hayden Wesneski will come off the injured list following Tommy John surgery and start his first game in the big leagues in nearly 15 months. “We’re not going to make a big deal out of it,” Alvarez said. “We all know what the goal is, and that’s to try to make the playoffs.” For the second game in a row, the Astros rallied in the ninth to win. Allen’s leadoff double got things started, and he was at third following a bloop single by Christian Vázquez. After Jeremy Peña struck out for the second out, the Angels sent pitching coach Mike Maddux to the mound to talk strategy with pitcher Mitch Farris. Do you walk Alvarez again, or take your chances? Alvarez is the leading candidate for the American League Most Valuable Player Award with one-third of the season remaining, first in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. He crushed his Major League-leading 35th homer of the season in the first inning Tuesday.