Griffin Deals, Garcia Bombs, Nationals Torch Astros 8-2
Foster Griffin threw seven innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts and zero walks, and Luis Garcia Jr. crushed a 417-foot, three-run homer that effectively ended Houston's night before it started. Washington handled the Astros 8-2, and it wasn't nearly that close.
The Nationals built their lead methodically before blowing the door off its hinges. In the third, CJ Abrams hit a sacrifice fly to left to score the first run, then Daylen Lile doubled to left to bring home Garcia Jr. and make it 2-0. Washington was in control, but the fourth inning is where this game was decided. Garcia Jr. launched one 417 feet to right center, scoring Ruiz and Wood along the way — a three-run shot that pushed the lead to 5-0. That swing moved Washington's win probability from 82% to 96%, a 14-point lurch that told you everything you needed to know about where this one was headed.
Houston managed a brief response in the fifth when Brice Matthews singled to center to score Diaz and cut it to 5-1, but Washington answered immediately. Abrams went back-to-back with a 415-foot solo shot to right center, and the Nationals weren't done in the inning — a groundout by Tena scored Lile, and Keibert Ruiz capped the fifth with a sacrifice fly to center that plated Crews. Just like that it was 8-1, and the game was a formality. The Astros' only other run came in the eighth on a throwing error by Abrams on an infield single, a minor blemish on an otherwise dominant Washington performance.
The story of the night, beyond the offense, was Griffin. Seven innings, five hits, one earned run, no walks, nine strikeouts — that's a line that looks like an ace performance regardless of the opponent. The Nationals' bullpen handled the final two frames without allowing an earned run. For Houston, this looks like the continuation of a rough stretch; the news that the Astros had already optioned a starter to Triple-A after a 10-run outing against these same Nationals on Tuesday adds context to just how badly this series appears to be going for them. Garcia Jr. finished 3-for-4 with the homer, three RBI, and two runs scored. Abrams went 1-for-3 but his two-run contributions — the sac fly and the home run — were as impactful as any line in the box score. Washington's offense spread the damage across the lineup, and Griffin made sure none of it went to waste.