3 Takeaways from the Houston Astros’ ALDS Game 2 victory

Astros ALDS Game 2 takeaway 1 — Jeremy Pena has been clutch as a set-up man for Yordan Alvarez

It goes without saying that Yordan Alvarez is putting up video game numbers so far in the first two games going four for eight with seven RBI and two home runs, both of which turned a Mariners lead into a Mariners deficit.

But none of those opportunities for Alvarez happen without Jeremy Pena who three times in this series has come up with two outs in the inning and gotten on base for both Alvarez and Alex Bregman to drive him in.

In Game 1 Pena was able to fight off a slider up the middle in a 1-2 count to set up Yordan Alvarez’s rock star home run to win the game.

In game two it was more of the same as in the bottom of the sixth with two outs and Luis Castillo straight rolling having retired eight straight Astros Pena was able to hit a fly ball to center field perfectly placed between Julio Rodriguez and Adam Frazier.

That led to Alvarez coming to the plate and knocking an opposite field home run that gave the Astros a 3-2 lead.

In the eighth it was yet again Jeremy Pena with two outs working a walk forcing the Mariners to intentionally walk Yordan Alvarez and then face Alex Bregman who drove Pena in with a single to right.

It’s always the hitter who knocks the runs in that gets the attention but Pena has taken what could be a breezy one two three inning for Mariners pitching and forced them to face the most feared hitters in the Astros lineup.

Suffice to say, Pena is thriving in the two hole and doing exactly what the Astros need by prolonging innings and giving their big boppers chances to blow the game up.