Alvarez didn't factor into the decision Saturday, allowing one hit and four walks over seven scoreless innings in a 6-5 extra-inning win over the Angels. He struck out eight.
The 27-year-old southpaw delivered his best start yet in the majors, blanking the Halos over 97 pitches (61 strikes) while setting a new career high in Ks and leaving the mound in line for his third win, only for the Nationals' bullpen to falter yet again. The quality start was Alvarez third, with all of them coming since the beginning of August -- over eight outings during that stretch he's posted a 2.44 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 41:19 K:BB in 44.1 frames. He'll look to stay sharp in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend in St. Louis.