BOSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit two home runs and scored three runs, rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti had a season-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings and the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Saturday.

Zach Dezenzo hit his first major league home run and Alex Bregman added a solo home run for the AL West-leading Astros, who picked up their second straight win over Boston and their fourth straight win overall.

With his 19th multi-home run game, Alvarez improved on his career-high numbers at Fenway Park, where he posted a .463 batting average with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. He began the day as the AL’s best hitter with a .354 average in road games.

“You can kind of tell by the game and the results,” Alvarez said through a team translator when asked if he enjoyed hitting at Fenway.

Boston manager Alex Cora believes the Astros slugger is one of the best hitters in the game alongside the Yankees’ Aaron Judge. He even compared him to former Red Sox slugger and Hall of Famer David Ortiz.

“To be honest, he’s on par with Judge for me,” Cora said. “It seems like he likes to hit here. The (Green Monster) keeps him in check, he can throw the other way. … He’s probably the closest to David in the game. Very, very, very similar to David Ortiz.”

Danny Jansen and Masataka Yoshida each hit a solo home run for the Red Sox, who lost a series for the first time in their last four games.

Alvarez’s second pitch came off a slider by Brad Keller (0-3) and flew an estimated 422 feet into the right field seats.

Arrighetti (5-10) allowed only two hits – solo home runs – and one walk in his 92-pitch appearance.

“Yeah, I think I was really focused,” he said. “Honestly, I got a little angry in the first and second innings. That helps me sometimes. … I don’t think I necessarily had my best stuff, but I think I was really focused and took advantage of what I had today.”

Josh Hader made the final three outs for his 25th save, despite allowing Rafael Devers’ leadoff double. It was his 25th consecutive successful save opportunity, a club record for Houston.

Alvarez had given Houston a 1-0 lead when he sent Josh Winckowski’s changeup over Boston’s bullpen in the first inning.

Bregman’s seventh-inning hit sailed deep into the batter’s eye in Keller center. Dezenzo’s hit went over the Green Monster seats in left.

With a two-run single, Wilyer Abreu reduced Boston’s deficit to 5-4 in the eighth inning.

The 24-year-old Arrighetti, acquired from Triple-A Sugar Land in April to fill a hole in Houston’s injury-depleted rotation, kept Boston’s hitters off balance by combining his 90-mph fastball with a changeup, a sweeper and a curveball until Jansen hit a first-pitch fastball completely out of Fenway Stadium over the monster early in the fifth inning.

Arrighetti, the club’s most promising pitcher entering the season, had his best start in his last game, recording 12 strikeouts in six innings and limiting Tampa Bay to one run in an unfortunate loss.

TRAINING ROOM

Astros: RHP Kendall Graveman (right shoulder surgery) threw from the Fenway Park mound before the game. Manager Joe Espada said it was about 10 throws and they will wait to see how he feels before making the next step. … RHP Justin Verlander (neck discomfort) should have one more rehab assignment for Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday night.

Red Sox: RHP Liam Hendriks threw his second live BP, this time away from the Fenway mound, as he recovers from ulnar collateral ligament surgery last August. He is expected to throw another one Tuesday or Wednesday and could begin rehab afterward. “Today was better than the other day,” he said. “The other day we noticed a couple of things. We, the coaching staff and my wife. She pulled up (clips) of my pitches.” … 1B Triston Casas (strained ribs since mid-April) continues his rehab at Triple-A Worcester. Cora said he will not be back this weekend or the next three games against Texas.

Next

RHP Hunter Brown (9-7, 3.98 ERA) will start for the Astros in the final game of the series on Sunday against LHP James Paxton (9-3, 4.42), who is making his third start for Boston since being acquired in a trade from the Dodgers.

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