Astros praise Alvarez’s torrid postseason: ‘He’s the best hitter in the game’

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez continued his incredible postseason performance at the plate with a pair of hits and three RBIs in Houston’s 10-3 blowout of the Texas Rangers in Game 4 of the ALCS.

“He’s the best hitter in the game, hands down,” Astros outfielder Mauricio Dubón said Thursday, according to USA Today’s Gabe Lacques. “He does that every day. It’s a little bit more magnified because it’s the postseason.”

Alvarez is hitting an astonishing .419 with a 1.522 OPS, six home runs and 13 RBIs in eight postseason games.

He drove in the eventual game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning Thursday. The 26-year-old faced nine pitches in the at-bat before driving a pitch off Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford an estimated 401 feet with an exit velocity of nearly 111 mph.

Alvarez also had RBI singles in the first and eighth innings as part of the Astros’ 11-hit performance in Game 4.

Dubón is most impressed with how complete of an offensive player Alvarez has become.

“He can beat you with a single to left field, or he can put it 460 feet dead center,” Dubón said. “Not many guys can do that. It’s crazy. The other team doesn’t want you to beat him. At the same time, it’s inevitable.”

Alvarez owns a career .922 OPS with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in 195 postseason at-bats.

“Having Alvarez hit like he’s been hitting, nothing can stop us right now,” Astros outfielder Chas McCormick said.

The Astros will seek a third straight road win against the Rangers in Game 5 on Friday. The series is tied 2-2.