When Pedro Alvarez scuffled through the first two months of the season, manager Buck Showalter pointed to his track record as a proven power hitter. There was reason to believe that when the many hot bats in the Orioles lineup cooled, Alvarez would be around to pick up the slack.
He’s done more than that recently, and the Orioles are fortunate for his presence.
Alvarez on Friday hit his 20th home run of the season, and 11th since the All-Star break, to spark an eight-run outburst that included four home runs -- three in the second inning.