Yordan Alvarez didn't mince words after his Houston Astros were swept by the Atlanta Braves on Sunday and pushed out of first place in the AL West.
"It was three slaps in the face that they gave us right in front of our fans," Alvarez said through an interpreter following a 4-2 loss, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. "Use tomorrow to take it as a reset day of rest. The only thing left is to go out there and win the six games that we have left."
The AL MVP favorite addressed his teammates during a clubhouse meeting held after the Astros' 10th loss in their last 14 games. The club was outscored 16-7 in the series by the Braves, who clinched their seventh NL East title in nine years Sunday.
"Just to settle down," Christian Walker said when asked about Alvarez's message.
Houston is now one game behind the Texas Rangers for the division lead and three games out of the AL's final wild-card spot. That means it's division title or bust at this point for the Astros, who do hold the tiebreaker over the Rangers.
"Sometimes things don't go your way and you win and you don't see that frustration," Alvarez said. "But when things don't go your way and you still lose, you see that frustration. I think that's what's happening here."
The Astros have two games remaining against the Seattle Mariners and four versus the Athletics. Both of those clubs have nothing left to play for.
The Rangers, meanwhile, face the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins - two teams that have also been eliminated from playoff contention.
