MILWAUKEE (AP) — Yordan Alvarez had a grand slam among his two homers and the Houston Astros routed the Milwaukee Brewers 12-2 on Monday night for their eighth consecutive victory.
Alvarez hit a solo shot off Corbin Burnes in the fifth inning and capped a five-run outburst in the sixth with a grand slam off Hoby Milner. Alvarez has 12 homers this season.
Corey Julks, Martín Maldonado and Mauricio Dubón also homered against Burnes (4-4), who allowed four homers in a game for the first time in his career. The 2021 Cy Young Award winner hadn’t given up three homers in a start since 2019.
The Astros had season highs with 12 runs, 15 hits and five homers. Alvarez went 3 for 4 with five RBIs, and Julks was 3 of 5 with three RBIs.
Astros starter Cristian Javier (4-1) struck out five and allowed four hits, one run and one walk in six innings. Javier has worked 25 innings and yielded seven runs over his last four starts.
Julks and Maldonado went deep in the second inning as the Astros took a two-run lead. Julks lined a 2-1 sinker over the wall in left-center for a 401-foot blast. Maldonado ripped a 411-foot drive into the left-field seats on a 2-1 cutter.
Milwaukee cut the lead to 2-1 on Rowdy Tellez’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the second, but a brilliant play by center fielder Jake Meyers prevented the Brewers from tying the game. The Brewers had a runner on first with two out when Owen Miller ripped a shot to deep center field. Meyers stretched out his right arm to make the catch as his shoulder banged into the wall.
Miller got a measure of revenge in the fourth when he made a diving stop along the third base line and threw out Meyers at first to prevent a potential extra-base hit. Jose Abreu scored from third on the play, extending Houston’s lead to 3-1.
Dubón led off the fifth with a 409-foot drive to left-center on a 1-0 slider. Two batters later, Alvarez sent a 1-0 cutter over the wall in right-center, a 425-foot shot.
Once Burnes departed, the Astros feasted on Milwaukee’s bullpen.
Elvis Peguero replaced Burnes and allowed four runs in one-third of an inning. After the Astros loaded the bases against Peguero, Alvarez sent Milner’s first pitch over the wall in left-center.
With the game out of hand, Brewers infielder Mike Brosseau pitched a scoreless ninth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: 2B Jose Altuve wasn't in the lineup two nights after making his 2023 debut. The eight-time All-Star had missed the Astros' first 43 games of the season due to a fractured right thumb. “It's still spring training for him,” manager Dusty Baker said before the game. "We've got to take care of his legs and everything else.” ... LHP Parker Mushinski was activated from the 10-day injured list. The Astros optioned LHP Matt Gage to Triple-A Sugar Land.
Brewers: LHP Eric Lauer went on the 15-day injured list with impingement to his right shoulder. The Brewers already had starting pitchers Brandon Woodruff, Wade Miley and Aaron Ashby on the injured list due to shoulder issues. The Brewers recalled RHP Tyson Miller from Triple-A Nashville. ... IF Luis Urías is expected to begin a rehabilitation assignment Tuesday or Wednesday with Nashville. Urías injured his hamstring in the season opener and hasn't played since.
UP NEXT
RHP J.P. France (1-0, 4.11 ERA) starts for the Astros and RHP Colin Rea (0-3, 5.52) pitches for the Brewers as the three-game series continues Tuesday night.
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