Alvarez, Arrighetti Help Houston Astros Stop Phillies

Yordan Alvarez managed to get baseball’s version of a hat trick for the Houston Astros. Spencer Arrighetti was too much for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Alvarez slammed three home runs and Arrighetti pitched 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball as the Astros beat the Phillies 10-0 on Wednesday. The win helped Houston stave off a sweep at Citizens Bank Park. The Astros finished their seven-game road trip to Baltimore and Philadelphia with a 3-4 record.

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Spencer Arrighetti Tough for Houston Astros

Still, Alvarez haunted Phillies pitchers and fans who remember his center-field blast in the 2022 World Series. It was Alvarez’s long ball off reliever Jose Alvarado that left Fox broadcaster Joe Davis to exclaim, “This game has turned upside down.”

This marked the third time in Alvarez’s career with the Houston Astros that he’s hit three homers in one game. In Houston’s five-run fourth inning, he smoked a two-run homer, MLB.com reported. In the seventh and eighth innings, he posted solo homers. Alvarez went back-to-back with Chas McCormick, who hit a pinch-hit two-run homer, in the eighth. Alvarez finished with four hits, tying a career high.

What about Arrighetti? Well, he kept the Houston Astros right-side-up for the win. Arrighetti, after getting off to a bit of a rough start this season, has been rock solid. He threw seven innings of no-hit ball before Philadelphia got its first hit from Austin Hays in the bottom of the eighth. Arrighetti left the game after he gave up Trae Turner’s two-out single.

“He was magnificent,” Astros manager Joe Espada said after the game, according to The Associated Press.

Alvarez’s big game was a welcome sight for Houston Astros fans. The team’s offensive output has been down in recent games, leaving some to scratch their heads. Well, Alvarez put the Astros on his back and sealed up a road victory.

Jose Altuve Steals Home on Harper

McCormick might be playing his last games (for now) on the MLB level. The Astros reportedly are close to signing former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward. No word, though, about a deal has come down. McCormick is hitting below .200 and has not been able to produce at the major-league level this season

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve led off the Astros’ first inning with a double, then eventually stole home. Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper was unable to handle a pickoff attempt to first base. “That really set the tone for us,” Espada said. “We needed a little spark and he did that.”

Houston posted five runs in the fifth inning off Phillies starter Taijuan Walker (3-6).

Speaking of Walker, he heard plenty of boobirds from the Philadelphia faithful on Wednesday. He gave up six runs on 13 hits in six innings of work. Phillies fans might be upset over Walker’s results. Before the 2023 season, he signed a four-year, $72 million deal with Philadelphia. The results are not pleasing to Philadelphia fans, especially when facing the Astros.

As an additional detail, Astros outfielder Mauricio Dubon came up with another defensive gem. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Dubon went up against the left-field all and took away extra bases from Brandon Marsh. Dubon is still recovering from running into a padded wall at Camden Yards on Sunday night. Still, he was able to make the play here.

“I chalked it up to a home run as soon as it was off the bat,” Arrighetti said. “Unbelievable.”

After Wednesday’s game, the Houston Astros flew home. Alex Bregman and his teammates start another homestand with the first of four games against Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, and the Kansas City Royals. Hunter Brown (11-7) starts for the Astros against the Royals’ Brady Singer (9-9).

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Article originally written by Joe Rutland