Yordan Alvarez is still finding ways to produce for Houston Astros, even with dip in homers
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK - At this point in a prolific season, Yordan Alvarez is contending with the standard he has set. For instance: Alvarez owns a .919 OPS in August, which is almost over. It's his second-lowest in a month this year. It would also rank fourth-highest among qualified hitters for the full season.
Alvarez snapped a 12-game stretch without a home run Saturday, in the Houston Astros' 6-2 loss to the Mets. His only longer drought this season preceded his last home run Aug. 14. He has two in his past 119 plate appearances. He still leads the American League with 37 and the majors with a 1.048 OPS.
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Therein lies a conundrum Alvarez inherits. The Astros' inconsistent and top-heavy offense all but needs Alvarez to be otherworldly - and he regularly has. Saturday, their lineup managed four hits. Alvarez had two of them and drove in both of their runs. His .320 average is second among qualified MLB hitters.
But it would behoove nobody for Alvarez to compromise his abilities by overreaching in an attempt to carry the offense. Alvarez is too disciplined a hitter, anyway, and at times opponents do not even offer him the choice. That more consistency is needed from others to complement his exploits holds true.
Alvarez entered Saturday seeing 41.4% of pitches in the strike zone in August, his lowest rate in a month this season, per Baseball Savant. His chase rate was also his highest, by about 4%, perhaps reflecting the occasional attempt to make things happen for a sputtering offense at the season's critical stage.
Though Alvarez hit one home run in his first 24 games this month, he still owned a .289/.429/.446 slash line. Just six hitters had a higher on-base percentage in August entering Saturday. Alvarez had nearly as many walks (18) as strikeouts (19). Eight of those walks were intentional, adding to his majors-high 28.
"If the home runs are not there, you've still got to try to find a way to contribute and try to find a way to get on base," Alvarez said, through interpreter Otto Loor. "And that's what I've been trying to do."
2026 ASTROS STATS
BATTERSAVGOBAABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSOSBCSETeam Totals.241.31645716181101199151805884541113411960Alvarez.320.43548190154281379393102102Peña.282.337340669616116442282919Correa.279.3691222234803161826101Diaz.261.289257286710010331042022Allen.260.309123213240213929205Paredes.259.3584685212123117735871007Shewmake.256.2727810204039213002Altuve.246.3104236010418214413894435Delgado.243.3003749101437002Walker.229.30348464111251247543126002Harris.226.2863147010426200Loperfido.216.3141021322711121431111Smith.213.27942856911541748361191025Meyers.213.2681411530703111031120Dezenzo.213.2807511164013731101Vázquez.212.2672222147707251748101Wade.204.328981320502151828000Trammell.203.2882022641627202070332Matthews.197.2502082341517221571441Varsho.188.258857163039821100Price.167.2311212100016001Spence.162.24437461003315011Cole.157.18951481038121001Johnson.143.2941412000023000Whitcomb.130.16723230025111000Salazar.056.2271801000133000Velázquez.000.0001100000106000___
PITCHERSWLERAGGSSVIPHRERHRBBSOTeam Totals68684.64136136411206.110916646221775551192Meyers000.001001000000Hader410.763602035.1133311148Santa011.17100015.1862169VanWey101.505006521005Okert622.17661066.144171671466Blubaugh423.17510182.1623129103484Brown433.331515081613230104486Pearson103.601601201610811216Lambert873.662323012810654521351125Wesneski413.8666032.227141421228Abreu534.0653075136252373665Teng564.422810071.1663935103071Ullola004.504006433219De Los Santos234.52590563.260363281459Arrighetti754.601717088684745125087King234.7551165357302881944Roa015.197008.21055176Imai645.321815067.255404094483Bolton015.408312021121231422Burrows495.991817094.21126963213575Javier156.45138044.254323281942Sousa136.52231019.125161421221McCullers236.8688039.138323072243Murray007.4380013.1191111178Weiss037.629202635242282030Blanco017.7154023.122202071220Pecko007.882208877275France008.103006.2666154Salazar009.001001111100Alexander119.3342018.12119194814Gordon0011.574109.12112126311Muñoz0015.753004777366Wade0018.001001322100That Alvarez had scored 15 runs in those 24 games suggested some chances not fulfilled by hitters behind him in the lineup. If not scrutiny, meanwhile, his power ebb at least invited a look. Alvarez attributed it to "a little bit of everything" between how pitchers are approaching him and his swings.
"I'm not worried about that," manager Joe Espada said Saturday. "What I love about it is when things are not falling there for him, he always finds a way to get a walk, he finds a way to be a threat, he finds a way to keep the line moving. He's having one heck of a year."
Alvarez's hard-hit rate and bat speed this month are on par with previous ones. His line-drive rate before Saturday was his highest this season. His home run in the eighth inning of Houston's loss was technically a line drive, leaving his bat at a 23-degree launch angle.
Mets right-hander Daniel Duarte threw Alvarez a 1-1 cutter. Alvarez crushed it 436 feet at 113.4 mph off the bat. It traveled further than all but three of his previous 36 homers this season.
"It felt good," Alvarez said. "I kept myself working and trying to make adjustments to try to get those results, but it felt really good."
It was an exception to a largely quiet day for the Astros' lineup, which has scored three or fewer runs in 12 of their past 19 games, a stretch in which the team is 8-11. Mets starter Nolan McLean held them to two hits in seven innings, a double by Jeremy Peña and a single by Alvarez. A first-inning sacrifice fly by Alvarez scored their only run against McLean.
That the Astros had won their previous two games with Alvarez going hitless in them reflected others' contributions, but more the efforts of a pitching staff that allowed two total runs. The four arms they deployed in a de facto bullpen game Saturday could not replicate that result, allowing 11 hits and six runs as the Mets evened a three-game series.
Alvarez's swings were the afternoon's highlight for Houston, which fell back to .500. Alvarez ended the day the sole American League leader again in average (.320), home runs (37) and RBIs (93). His 1.048 OPS led all qualified major-league hitters by more than 100 points. With 26 games left in the Astros' season, he retains a legitimate shot at the majors' second Triple Crown since 1967.
"Feel good, very motivated," Alvarez said. "We know we're in a tight race for the division, for the playoffs, so very motivated for that."
Houston's loss kept its AL West lead at two games after the Rangers' loss at Milwaukee. Alvarez cannot preserve it alone, but his presence helps kindle the Astros' hopes for a playoff run. He matched his career high set in 2022 with his 37th home run Saturday. Just six players in franchise history have hit more in a season, precedents Alvarez could still outpace over the next month.
"It's something nice to be able to equalize the amount of home runs," Alvarez said, "and to still have a chance to go out there and hit some more."
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