It’s one thing to stand up in a team meeting and challenge your teammates to play better. It’s another to be the one showing them the way. Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who spoke up in a team meeting after the Braves swept the Astros on Sunday, blasted his 41st homer of the season and drove in three runs -- giving him 102 for the season -- to lead the Astros to a 7-0 win over the Mariners on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. The Astros (78-79) snapped a three-game losing streak and moved back into a first-place tie atop the American League West with the Rangers (78-79), who lost to the Mets, 6-3, on Tuesday. Thus, Houston controls its own destiny with five games remaining in the regular season. Astros starter Cristian Javier left the game after two scoreless innings with right groin tightness, forcing the bullpen to cover the final seven innings. Rookie Miguel Ullola threw the third and fourth, and lefty Bennett Sousa handled the fifth and sixth. Houston began the game with four consecutive singles against Mariners starter Logan Gilbert, including an RBI single by Alvarez, giving him 100 RBIs. In the third, Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz singled ahead of Christian Walker’s three-run homer to left off Gilbert, making it 4-0. Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes stretched the lead to 5-0 with a solo homer in the sixth -- his 23rd of the season -- off reliever José A. Ferrer. Alvarez hit a two-run homer to right field in the eighth to make it 7-0, as he puts the finishing touches on what’s likely his first Most Valuable Player Award in the AL.
