Jose Altuve playing second base versus White Sox

Altuve’s 28th career postseason home run puts him one behind Manny Ramirez for the all-time lead. He had a chance to put Houston ahead in the ensuing frame but wound up flying out to right field with the bases loaded. It’s fair to wonder how much longer Houston will be able to sustain things with its current nucleus, which is comprised largely of remnants from the dynastic run earlier in the decade, including Altuve, alongside newer faces who have yet to lead the club to sustained playoff success. In some ways, being swept by an upstart White Sox team feels like a fitting end for this group with Chicago beginning to chart its own course in a fashion reminiscent of Houston’s own unexpected rise roughly a decade ago.

Alvarez had a couple chances to turn the tide in this one, most notably when he stepped to the plate with a pair of runners on-base and the Astros trailing by two runs in the fifth inning and lined out to left field harmlessly. The 29-year-old presumptive AL MVP Award front-runner went 1-for-8 as Houston was swept in the best-of-three series in their home ballpark.

No real changes for the Astros, with the exception of Alvarez heading out to left field with Isaac Paredes moving to DH and Nick Allen entering at third base, as they try to stave off elimination and force a decisive Game 3 showdown. Here’s the full lineup: Jeremy Peña (SS), Alvarez (LF), Paredes (DH), Jose Altuve (2B), Yainer Diaz (C), Christian Walker (1B), Lucas Spence (CF), Cam Smith (RF) and Allen (3B).

The triple crown isn’t happening, but Alvarez leads the majors with a .316 average, a .432 OBP and a .604 slugging percentage and is tied for second in the AL with 42 homers and is alone in second in the AL with 105 RBI. He’s almost certainly going to wind up with an MVP award.

Alvarez put the Astros on the board with a base hit in the first inning to drive in a run. After he was intentionally walked in the second, he took Carlos Vargas deep for a two-run blast in the eighth to extend the Houston lead. The home run ties Alvarez with Junior Caminero for the AL lead at 41 home runs. The homer also marked the 900th hit of his career. The 29-year-old slugger is slashing an incredible .314/.431/.601 with 102 RBI across 668 plate appearances.

Altuve’s home run was his 16th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Martin Perez in the fourth inning. It was his first home run since September 3 against the White Sox, a span of 14 games where Altuve had only one RBI. He’s hitting .249 with a .709 OPS and 45 RBI this year.

Alvarez clobbered the fourth of five Astros’ solo home runs in the contest, with his 385-foot (107.2-mph EV) blast coming off of Seth Lugo in the fifth inning. It’s the first time in his career that he has eclipsed the 40-homer plateau, becoming just the eighth player in Astros’ franchise history to do so. With his 2-for-4 night, the 29-year-old superstar is now slashing a robust .311/.429/.598 with 40 homers and 99 RBI on the season.

Alvarez drew a walk in the third inning, then took Michael Wacha deep for a two-run homer in the fifth to extend the Astros’ lead. It was just the second home run this month for the 29-year-old slugger. He’s up to 39 on the season with 96 runs scored and 98 RBI while slashing .310/.429/.594 across 643 plate appearances.

With the fantasy playoffs in full swing, it’s worth noting that Alvarez is healthy after missing a pair of games late last week with a minor ankle issue. The 29-year-old fantasy superstar is in the lineup to face Royals veteran righty Michael Wacha on Tuesday night at Daikin Park.

Alvarez missed the first two games of the series after suffering a minor ankle injury on Thursday. The 29-year-old slugger is back in there as the Astros’ designated hitter on Sunday and will bat second against Rays’ right-hander Freddy Peralta. Alvarez is just 7-for-33 (.212) in the month of September and has hit just three home runs over his last 38 games.