After early scare, Alvarez continues hot streak with monster night

TORONTO -- Yordan Alvarez gave his manager a thumbs up, picked up his bat and got back to mashing.

Things got a bit scary in the first inning of the Astros’ 9-2 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night, when Alvarez twisted his left ankle after grounding a ball to short for the final out of the frame. An injury-riddled Houston team couldn’t afford any time without its hottest hitter.

But after a quick huddle with manager Joe Espada in the visiting clubhouse at Rogers Centre, Alvarez stated he was good to go. That was scary too -- this time, for the Blue Jays.

“I’m holding my breath and I’m like, ‘Oh, jeez,’” said Espada. “And then all of a sudden he goes and has a stellar performance.”

It’s been all Yordan all the time in Toronto. The Astros’ slugger hit his third homer in as many games as part of a three-extra-base-hit, three-RBI night that put the Astros in position for a series win in Thursday’s finale.

There was a stubborn quality to this one, too, as Alvarez seemed set on carrying the Astros’ offense in what shaped up as a close, low-scoring contest for the first six innings. His RBI double in the third tied the game up at one, and his sixth-inning solo homer -- a laser to right field off lefty Yusei Kikuchi -- put the Astros ahead for the first time.

By the time Alvarez came up again, with two on and one out in the seventh, the Blue Jays had seen enough. Alvarez was intentionally walked, allowing Yainer Diaz to join in on the fun and break the game open with a two-run single. Houston kept adding in that frame, albeit in painful fashion, as reliever Jose Cuas hit two batters on back-to-back pitches to put another run on the board.

Another RBI double in the eighth capped Alvarez’s big night, just hours after he was named a starter for the AL team in this year’s All-Star Game alongside Jose Altuve.

Alvarez did it all with a bit of a “tight” ankle. All in a day’s work.

“It's hard to believe everything he does on a daily basis,” Altuve said of Alvarez ahead of Wednesday’s win. “Just yesterday, he hit a 3-0 homer on a [low] changeup -- not a lot of guys are able to do that. I’m happy for him. He’s very humble, he wants to win and help the team … so I’m happy for him.”

The 27-year-old Alvarez has gone 6-for-11 with three homers and eight RBIs over the first three games of the series, carrying last month’s breakout into July and helping the Astros (44-42) continue to gain ground in the AL standings.

“We had a tough start to the season, but everyone knows what a great team we have here,” Alvarez said in Spanish. “And the time has come to show it.”

They’re doing it without Kyle Tucker, too, who remains out due to a shin injury. Someone needed to step up for Houston. Through a few mechanic adjustments and renewed commitment to his goals, Alvarez has answered the call.

So, it’s only natural that his manager would get nervous after that awkward swing in the first frame.

“Right now, we’re grinding, and we’re trying to finish strong this first half,” said Espada. “Any time you see someone limping off the field … you start kind of holding your breath, but these guys are resilient, man. They’re just going to keep grinding.”

The Astros have now won 11 of their past 13 games, posting an AL-best 19-9 record since the start of June.

Wednesday’s victory started on the mound, where Ronel Blanco continued to make his own All-Star case with 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball. It wasn’t quite as dominant as his first start of the season against Toronto -- a no-hitter on April 1 at Minute Maid Park -- but it kept the visitors in it until the offense finally broke through behind Alvarez.

Don’t expect the slugger to take any time off, either. After stating that his ankle was a bit tight for the rest of the game, Alvarez was asked how he felt at the plate in the following at-bats. He let out a smirk before answering.

“Couldn’t you tell?” Alvarez said.