Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run, walk-off home run off Rays reliever Casey Legumina in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Astros to a 10-8 win at Daikin Park. Alvarez’s drive traveled 424 feet with a 108.3 mph exit velocity and 23 degree launch angle, capping a two-homer, six-RBI game and his 29th homer of the season. Houston rallied from a 7-2 deficit after Tampa Bay built that lead against starter Hunter Brown, who allowed seven runs in four innings. The Astros snapped the Rays’ nine-game winning streak as Alvarez, named the American League designated hitter starter for the All-Star Game that day, also recorded his 67th RBI. Isaac Paredes had an RBI single and Zach Dezenzo delivered a game-tying pinch-hit single in the seventh after being called up earlier Saturday. Junior Caminero homered off Brown in the first, marking his 11th homer in 11 games and briefly leaving him one behind Alvarez in homers before Alvarez’s second long ball. Alvarez’s performance strengthened his AL MVP case while delivering a dramatic Independence Day victory for Houston.
