It’s time to walk Houston’s Yordan Alvarez every time he comes to the plate.
That might sound extreme, but Alvarez, who haunted the Seattle Mariners during last year’s postseason play, is up to his old tricks by hitting key home runs. He hit a two-run blast to give the Houston Astros a 3-0 lead, then squashed a Twins rally with a seventh inning solo shot to extend the Astros lead for a 6-4 win.
The Twins made it interesting. They were losing 5-0 when Jorge Polanco hit a deep three-run blast, followed by rookie Royce Lewis who hit a solo dinger, his third of the postseason.
The problem? Starter Bailey Ober and Kenta Maeda, now in a relief role, allowed five runs, and the lineup, as it often did during the regular season, had one of those games in which the clutch hitting disappeared and the strikeouts mounted. The Twins were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and struck out 13 times as a team. They have been here before.
Game 2 is Sunday. Pablo Lopez gets the ball.
Extra innings …
-Both teams had nine hits in the game.
-Astros reliever Ryan Pressly closed out Saturday’s game to earn his first save of the postseason. He pitched a scoreless inning on 16 pitches, including two strikeouts.
Before Pressly joined the Astros he was a member of the Twins for six seasons until he was traded to Houston for pitcher Jorge Alcala and outfielder Gilberto Celestino, a deal that has worked out much better for the Astros.
Pressly was used in a set up role during his days with the Twins, but in Houston he has been the closer and now has recorded 108 saves over six seasons in Texas.
Pressly had some good seasons in Minnesota as well, including 2018 when he appeared in an American League-leading 77 games. He struck out more than 100 batters in 71 innings for a strikeout rate per nine innings of 12.8. He also is a two-time All-Star.