Alvarez: Astros will get 'last laugh' despite slow start

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is as confident as ever in his club, despite a 30-35 start to the season.

"I think, to this point, we have a lot of guys that have experience in the playoffs, that have been through these moments," Alvarez said Saturday, per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. "We played some good baseball, and I think there's going to be a spot where we are going to all click, and when all is said and done, we're going to be the ones to have the last laugh."

Alvarez had three hits, including a home run, in Houston's 6-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. The Astros are 5-2 in June and have won consecutive series.

Alvarez has found his stride at the plate lately. The 26-year-old is hitting .397 with four home runs and an OPS over 1.100 over his last 15 games.

"He's been hitting the ball hard the last couple of weeks," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "I think now he's actually starting to just get the ball in the air and start driving the ball."

The Astros trail the Seattle Mariners by 5.5 games for first place in the AL West and are 3.5 games back of a wild-card spot. Houston has made seven consecutive ALCS appearances dating back to the 2017 campaign.