Astros' Alvarez opens May with a bang

Yordan Alvarez put up gigantic numbers in the season's first month, and nothing changed on the first day of May.
The Astros' No. 3 prospect, who hit .347 in April, went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and briefly lifted his average to .375 as Triple-A Round Rock breezed past Oklahoma City, 12-5, in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon.

Alvarez, batting cleanup for the Express, began the second inning with a line drive base hit to center and then added an RBI single in Round Rock's six-run third. He ripped a run-scoring double in the fourth to chase Justin Grimm from the mound and slapped another RBI double in the fifth off Stetson Allie. The Dodgers finally retired the outfielder when Josh Smoker struck him out to begin the seventh.
It was Alvarez's second four-hit effort in three games -- the 21-year-old went 4-for-5 with a homer, three RBIs and four runs scored on April 27 against New Orleans in his first four-hit game since Aug. 10, 2017. He had a hit in 16 of the 21 games he started last month, with six of those being multi-hit performances, and was 26-for-75 with 11 homers, 29 RBIs and six doubles overall in April.
Gameday box score
Alvarez leads the Pacific Coast League in homers, total bases (71) and slugging (.888), ranks second in RBIs and OPS (1.385), sixth in runs (22) and seventh in hits. His April highlight reel included a five-RBI game on April 16 and a four-RBI effort on April 10, both against Nashville, along with a three-homer game on April 6 in which he tallied a dozen total bases. 
The Cuban outfielder split last season between Triple-A Fresno and Double-A Corpus Christi, hitting .293 with 20 homers and 74 RBI in 88 games.
Myles Straw, the Astros' No. 16 prospect, went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored while Kyle Tucker, the organization's No. 2 prospect, walked, stole a base and scored a run for Round Rock. Derek Fisher, hitting .299, went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and his first homer of the season. 
Akeem Bostick (2-0) struck out six over five innings to pick up his second win for the Express. The 2013 second-round pick allowed five runs on four hits and two walks.
Ben Holmes (0-3) started for Oklahoma City and was charged with six runs on six hits and three walks in two innings. The 27-year-old lefty out of Oregon State struck out two.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk and three RBIs in Round Rock's 9-3 victory.