Alex Bregman hits 3-run HR, Yordan Alvarez follows with solo shot as Astros beat Red Sox 10-2

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit a three-run homer to key a five-run fifth inning, Yordan Alvarez followed with his third homer in two games and the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 10-2 on Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep.

It was the fifth straight win for the AL West-leading Astros, who also swept a three-game series in Fenway Park last season. Houston has won seven of its last eight series in Boston.

“Big swings, a ton of good at-bats throughout,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of the series.

Jeremy Peña added a two-run homer and Yainer Diaz had a two-run double for the Astros, who improved to a season-best seven games over .500 (62-55).

Boston starter James Paxton limped off the field after straining his right calf while making a quick move to cover first on a grounder in the opening inning.

“I felt like I got kicked in the calf. Then, I kind of turned around, took another step and I felt it again,” Paxton said. “I was like: ‘It's not good. It's my calf.' I felt it pop.”

The Red Sox have lost four straight, and they’ve given up a major-league worst 47 homers since the All-Star break. Boston came in an MLB-best 16-3 in Sunday games.

Boston first baseman Dominic Smith pitched a scoreless ninth, with his first pitch recorded at 32 mph. He tipped his cap walking off after getting a loud ovation.

Hunter Brown (10-7) struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs.

With Houston leading 1-0, Bregman hit a shot against Brennan Bernardino an estimated 441 feet that left Fenway completely over the Green Monster. Alvarez then sent his drive into the center-field bleachers.

Alvarez went 2 for 2, increasing his average to .482 in 15 career games in Fenway with eight homers and 20 RBIs.

“Just to be able to be his teammate and be able to watch what he does on a day-to-day basis is special,” Bregman said of Alvarez. “He hits for average line-to-line, hits the ball out of the ballpark anywhere, so he's always fun to watch and he's very clutch, too. ... He always gets his ‘A' swing off.”

After hitting two homers a day earlier, the 27-year-old slugger was compared by Red Sox manager Alex Cora to Hall of Famer and former Red Sox star David Ortiz, along with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

“For me, he’s up there with Judge, to be honest with you,” Cora said. “Closest thing to David, probably, in the game. Very, very, very similar to David Ortiz.”

Peña’s drive also cleared the Monster seats, coming in a four-run sixth that made it 10-0.

Reliever Lucas Sims (1-6) was the loser after Bernardino’s wild pitch allowed a runner that he left on to score

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: Espada said “everything was positive” on ace RHP Justin Verlander after he had a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday night. They were waiting to hear from Verlander, but the plan is another rehab start before thinking about coming back to the majors. ... Bregman slid into a wall hard chasing a foul pop, but stayed in.

Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers had the day off. “He’s been grinding through it,” Cora said. “It makes sense and hopefully (Monday) he’ll be back.” ... SS Trevor Story is still expected to take BP on the field Monday as he works back from shoulder surgery quicker than originally expected.

UP NEXT

Astros: LHP Framber Valdez (11-5, 3.46 ERA) is expected to start the opener of a three-game series Monday on the road against Tampa Bay.

Red Sox: Cora said RHP Brayan Bello (10-5, 5.16) would come off the paternity list and make his start Monday when Boston plays the first of three against Texas. RHP Tyler Mahle (0-1, 1.80) is slated to start for the Rangers.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher James Paxton limps off the field between manager Alex Cora, left, and a trainer during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown throws against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of a baseball, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Sims throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Houston Astros' Mauricio Dubón (14) scores after a wild pitch by Boston Red Sox's Brennan Bernardino (83) during the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Houston Astros' Yainer Diaz, right, celebrates the three-run home run by Alex Bregman that also drove in Jose Altuve, left, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) stands on the mound after relieving pitcher Brennan Bernardino, left, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña (3) celebrates his two-run home run behind Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong, right, that also drove in Yainer Diaz (21) during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Houston Astros' Jeremy Peña watches his two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Houston Astros' Alex Bregman celebrates his three-run home run with Yordan Alvarez (44) that also drove in Pedro León (4) as Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong kneels at home plate during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Houston Astros' Alex Bregman (2) watches his three-run home run in front of Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A war next door in Ukraine.Migration pressure at borders. Russian sabotage across the region. Doubts about the U.S. commitment to Europe's security.

In Poland’s presidential election Sunday, security looms large. So do questions about the country’s strength as a democracy and its place in the European Union. One of the new president’s most important tasks will be maintaining strong ties with the United States, widely seen as essential to the survival of a country in an increasingly volatile neighborhood.

Voters in this Central European nation of 38 million people will cast ballots to replace conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda, whose second and final five-year term ends in August.

With 13 candidates, a decisive first-round victory is unlikely. Some have appeared unserious or extreme, with a couple expressing openly pro-Putin or antisemitic views. A televised debate this week dragged on for nearly four hours. There are calls to raise the threshold to qualify for the race.

A runoff on June 1 is widely expected, with polls pointing to a likely showdown between Rafał Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw, and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian backed by the Law and Justice party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023.

Poland’s geography gives the election added importance. Bordering Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, Belarus and war-torn Ukraine — as well as several Western allies — Poland occupies a critical position along NATO’s eastern flank and serves as a key logistics hub for military aid to Ukraine.

There are growing fears that if Russia prevails in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it could target other countries that freed themselves from Moscow's control some 35 years ago. Against that backdrop, the election will shape Warsaw’s foreign policy at a moment of mounting strain on trans-Atlantic unity and European defense.

Both leading candidates support continued U.S. military engagement in Europe. Trzaskowski puts greater emphasis on deepening ties with the European Union, while Nawrocki is more skeptical of Brussels and promotes a nationalist agenda.

When Law and Justice held power, it repeatedly clashed with EU institutions over judicial independence, media freedom and migration.

While Poland is a parliamentary democracy, the presidency wields significant influence. The president serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, holds veto power, shapes foreign policy and plays a symbolic role in national discourse.

Under Duda, the office largely advanced the conservative agenda of Law and Justice. Since Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist coalition came to power in late 2023, Duda has blocked key reforms aimed at restoring judicial independence and repairing relations with the EU.

“The stakes are enormous for the ruling coalition and for those concerned with the future of Polish democracy,” said Jacek Kucharczyk, president of the Institute of Public Affairs, a Warsaw think tank. “This is about democratic reform and restoring the rule of law — and that can only happen with cooperation from the next president.”

The election is also pivotal for Law and Justice, Kucharczyk noted: “Its future as a dominant political force may hinge on the outcome.”

Both Trzaskowski and Nawrocki have pledged to support Ukraine and maintain strong defense ties, but their visions for Poland diverge sharply on the role of the EU and domestic social policy.

Trzaskowski, 52, is a former presidential contender and a senior figure in Civic Platform, the centrist party led by Tusk. He is running on a pro-European platform and has pledged to defend judicial independence and rebuild democratic institutions.

Supporters describe him as a modernizer who represents a cosmopolitan, outward-facing Poland. He speaks foreign languages, has marched in LGBTQ+ parades and appeals to younger, urban voters. Trzaskowski's progressive views highlight an evolution of the once more conservative Civic Platform.

Nawrocki, 42, represents how the party backing him, Law and Justice, is turning further to the right as support for the hard right grows.

Nawrocki, who is not a Law and Justice party member, heads the state-backed Institute of National Remembrance, which investigates Nazi and communist-era crimes. He has drawn praise from conservatives for dismantling Soviet monuments and promoting patriotic education, but he faces criticism for inexperience and playing on anti-German and other resentments. He has also been embroiled in some scandals.

Earlier this month, Nawrocki met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House — a symbolic moment welcomed by Law and Justice-friendly media as proof that he would be the best man for keeping the relationship with the United States strong. Critics viewed it as interference by Trump's administration.

This week Nawrocki was joined on the campaign trail by Romanian nationalist George Simion, who faces a runoff vote for the presidency on Sunday. Simion is viewed by critics as pro-Russian, leading Tusk to tweet: "Russia is pleased. Nawrocki and his pro-Russian Romanian counterpart George Simion on the same stage five days before the presidential elections in Poland and Romania. Everything is clear.“

AP video reporter Rafał Niedzielski contributed to this report.

Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a liberal candidate in Poland's presidential election, speaks to supporters during a campaign stop, in Lodz, Poland, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Far-right Confederation party's presidential candidate Sławomir Mentzen poses for a photo with supporters in Saturday,Warsaw, Poland, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Supporters join a campaign rally in support of presidential candidate Szymon Hołownia in Warsaw, Poland ,Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

People carry placards in support of conservative presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, a liberal candidate in Poland's presidential election, waves to supporters during a campaign stop, in Lodz, Poland, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)