CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Peter Lambert delivered a dominant performance on the mound, and Yordan Alvarez provided all the necessary offense with a first-inning home run as the Houston Astros shut out the Cleveland Guardians 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field.

The game, which took 2 hours and 39 minutes to complete in front of 15,722 fans, saw the Astros salvage the finale of a three-game series after dropping the previous contest. Houston improved to 10-16 overall, while Cleveland fell to 14-12.

The most important part of the game came immediately, as the Astros struck with decisive efficiency in the top of the first inning against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee. Carlos Correa led off the game with a sharp double to left field. Alvarez then stepped in and, with one swing, provided the game’s only runs, launching a two-run homer to right-center field for his 11th of the season. That early outburst proved to be the entirety of the scoring.

From there, the contest evolved into a pitchers’ duel. Lambert, Houston’s top star, was brilliant in earning his first win of the season against one loss. He worked six scoreless innings, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out eight Guardians batters. He navigated his only significant trouble in the third inning, when consecutive singles by Steven Kwan and Chase DeLauter put two on with one out. Lambert responded by striking out José Ramírez and Kyle Manzardo to end the threat.

Bibee, who took the loss to fall to 0-3, settled in admirably after the rocky first. He matched Lambert’s six innings, allowing just the two runs on five hits with three strikeouts. The Guardians bullpen of Erik Sabrowski, Matt Festa and Hunter Gaddis combined for three perfect innings of relief to keep the deficit at two.

Houston’s bullpen, however, was tasked with protecting a slim lead and did so flawlessly. AJ Blubaugh worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, striking out one. Steven Okert recorded two outs in the eighth before Enyel De Los Santos entered with a runner on first. De Los Santos ended that inning and then worked a tense ninth to secure his third save of the year.

Cleveland mounted its final challenge in the ninth. DeLauter, who went 2 for 4, led off with a single. After Ramírez grounded into a force out, a pinch-hitting Rhys Hoskins struck out swinging. De Los Santos then walked Bo Naylor, putting the potential tying run on base. But Brayan Rocchio flew out to center field to end the game, stranding two runners.

The Guardians, who were installed as pregame favorites and had a 57.4% win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, managed just five hits and went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. The Astros finished with six hits, three of them by Alvarez.

The result defied the Interstat game simulator projection of a 5-3 Cleveland victory, and the combined two runs went well under the over/under line of 8.

Houston now returns home to begin a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Friday. Cleveland heads to Toronto to open a three-game set with the Blue Jays, also on Friday.