'He's a great hitter': Alvarez earns rave reviews for power prowess

TORONTO -- Yordan Alvarez can get into your head.

There¡¯s nothing wrong with it, really. Alvarez has shown time and again that he has the ability to change the game with one swing. So, opponents will be cautious. But it¡¯s tough to outsmart a hitter like that.

Alvarez proved as much on Tuesday evening, homering for a second straight game to cap a five-run fifth inning. That mighty swing wasn¡¯t enough to erase the Astros¡¯ deficit in a 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, but it gave the visitors a chance to climb back from an early seven-run hole.

¡°I¡¯ve been saying this for the last two or three years: He¡¯s one of the best hitters in baseball,¡± Jose Altuve said. ¡°I think he¡¯s a little underrated in that aspect.¡±

One guy who¡¯s certainly not guilty of that is Blue Jays starter Jos¨¦ Berr¨ªos.

With two out and two on in the fifth, after the Astros had already inched closer with RBI singles from C¨¦sar Salazar and Altuve, it was Alvarez¡¯s turn to step up to the box. He watched three straight balls zip past him -- a pair of four-seamers to start, and then a changeup low and away.

Berr¨ªos went back to the changeup away with his next offering, but this time it caught an inch of the plate. It was all Alvarez needed to send it 388 feet over the right-field wall for a three-run homer.

Alvarez¡¯s 18th jack of the season pulled the Astros within two runs, causing Berr¨ªos to smash his glove in frustration as he walked off the mound at the end of the frame.

¡°He¡¯s a smart hitter. He¡¯s a great hitter,¡± Berr¨ªos said. ¡°He¡¯s been doing that for a few years already. In that at-bat, I started attacking him with two fastballs in and two changeups away, and he got it. He guessed better than me. He was thinking more ahead than me and he beat me.¡±

That¡¯s the type of at-bat that has Alvarez competing for a starting spot in what would be his third All-Star appearance. It also justifies such high praise from a former AL MVP and 14-year big league veteran.

¡°I've been in the game long enough to say he's one of the best I've ever played with,¡± Altuve said. ¡°And he has more to come. He¡¯s great, he works hard and he¡¯s going to be even better.¡±

We¡¯ve seen that evolution play out this season already.

After a good-not-great first couple of months, Alvarez has been nearly unstoppable since the start of June, when he hit .349 with a 1.139 OPS in 23 games that month. July began how the last one ended.

Alvarez proved crucial for the Astros¡¯ series-opening win on Monday, as his two-run blast in the ninth inning turned a narrow nail-biter into a three-run cushion. It also allowed Josh Hader to breathe a bit more easily -- even after surrendering a solo blast in the bottom half of the frame.

This time, Alvarez came through in different ways.

The 27-year-old also scored a run in the eighth, after opening the inning with a single and sprinting to second on a bad throw to first by Bo Bichette. Alvarez seemed to get into his opponents¡¯ heads again right there, as right-hander Trevor Richards attempted to pick off Alvarez at second, only to see the throw sail all the way to center field.

The errant throw allowed Alvarez to advance to third and he came in to score on a one-out groundout by Jake Meyers to make it a one-run game.

Houston¡¯s rally fell short, but it went down as another remarkable effort for a club on a steady climb.

¡°If there's an offense that can do it, it¡¯s our offense,¡± manager Joe Espada said of the near-comeback. ¡°And we showed it there. [We were] one swing away. I just wanted to just stay in the game. The bullpen gave us a chance. It¡¯s always a challenge, but if there¡¯s an offense that can do it, it¡¯s ours.¡±

Alvarez didn¡¯t do it alone.

After Spencer Arrighetti allowed seven runs (six earned) over four innings, the Astros kept chipping away, helped by a three-hit night from Altuve.

Jeremy Pe?a opened the top of the ninth with a double, putting Houston in position to tie things up. A pair of strikeouts and a flyout by Altuve ended the threat, but there was still plenty for the Astros to like about this one.

¡°We never gave up,¡± Altuve said. ¡°We just have to take some of the positive things from today, turn the page and go after it tomorrow.¡±