Alvarez took a no-decision Monday against the Phillies, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out five.
Alvarez was cruising along Monday, spinning six shutout frames initially, but a Derek Hill go-ahead grand slam off reliever Tom Cosgrove in the seventh inning took Alvarez out of position for the victory. It was still arguably the southpaw's best outing of the season, as Monday marked his first quality start so far. Alvarez should maintain a rotation spot until Connelly Early (elbow) is ready to make his Nationals debut, posting a 3.94 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 63:31 K:BB over 64 innings.