HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez clubbed a pair of home runs while Justin Verlander twirled six shutout innings as the Houston Astros topped the Minnesota Twins 6-4 in Game 1 of this American League Division Series on Saturday.
Alvarez finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs plus a walk as the Astros secured a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series with Game 2 set for Sunday in Houston.
Alvarez extended the Astros’ 1-0 lead with his two-run blast to right field off Twins starter Bailey Ober (0-1) with one out in the third inning, a 379-foot blast that followed a walk by Alex Bregman. Alvarez was in the middle of a two-run uprising in the fifth inning that enabled Houston to stretch its lead to 5-0 when he walked and scored on a Chas McCormick single.
When Alvarez homered again in the seventh, this time off Twins left-hander Caleb Thielbar, his solo shot off the right-field foul pole proved critical. Minnesota had rallied to within 5-4 courtesy of a four-run seventh off Astros reliever Hector Neris, and Alvarez produced needed insurance.
Stymied by Verlander, the Twins mounted a stunning surge against Neris, who arguably served as the most reliable reliever for Houston during the season.
Matt Wallner (hit batsman) and Ryan Jeffers (single) put Neris on the defensive immediately, and after rallying with a pair of strikeouts, Neris surrendered a three-run home run to Twins third baseman Jorge Polanco.
One batter later, Royce Lewis socked his third homer of this postseason, drilling a 1-0 fastball from Neris 409 feet to left. Bryan Abreu put out that fire despite allowing a two-out double to Max Kepler in the seventh and a leadoff double to Carlos Correa in the eighth.
Ryan Pressly retired the side in order in the ninth for the save.
Verlander (1-0) used a pair of 6-4-3 double plays to navigate his first two innings, including a 23-pitch first that included only 10 strikes. But after allowing a leadoff double to Edouard Julien in the third, Verlander bore down. He surrendered two more baserunners and allowed four hits and three walks while recording six strikeouts.
Jose Altuve belted his 24th postseason home run on the first pitch in the bottom of the first.
–By MK Bower, Field Level Media