Yordan Alvarez had three hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning, and Peter Lambert threw six shutout innings for the visiting Houston Astros in a 2-0 win against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday afternoon in the rubber game of their three-game series.
Lambert (1-1) allowed three hits while striking out eight and walking three for the Astros, who had lost five of six and surrendered at least seven runs in four of those defeats.
Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee (0-3) allowed two runs and five hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked two.
Chase DeLauter had two of the five hits for the Guardians, who had won three of four.
Alvarez came up after Carlos Correa doubled to lead off the game and fouled off a two-strike changeup before lifting a curveball into the stands in right for a 2-0 lead.
The home run was the MLB-leading 11th of the season for Alvarez.
Lambert stranded two runners in the first and again in the third. The Guardians also couldn’t take advantage of a leadoff walk in the second. George Valera was safe on an error by Astros second baseman Jose Altuve to lead off the fourth but was stranded at third.
A right-hander, Lambert retired six of the final seven batters he faced, getting two strikeouts and a comebacker in the sixth.
AJ Blubaugh retired the side in order in the seventh for the Astros before reliever Steven Okert got the first two outs in the eighth. Enyel De Los Santos then came in and struck out Rhys Hoskins with a runner on first to end the inning.
De Los Santos came back out for the ninth and got Brayan Rocchio to fly out to center with two runners aboard to end the game and secure his third save.
Bibee got away with walking the leadoff batter in the third and fourth innings and then retired six in a row before Alvarez singled to lead off the sixth. Bibee stranded two runners in his final inning.
Matt Festa, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski each tossed an inning of scoreless relief for the Guardians.
