Wood Powers Late Surge
James Wood delivered a decisive four-run home run in the fifth inning, propelling the Washington Nationals to a 12-11 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday at Nationals Park. The win improved the Nationals' record to 47-45, while the Astros fell to 45-48.
The game began with back-and-forth scoring in the first inning. Walker opened the scoring for Washington with a double to center field, bringing Paredes home for a 1-0 lead. Houston responded immediately in the bottom of the frame, as Mead doubled to center to tie the game at 1-1.
Astros Take Early Lead
Houston seized control in the second inning when Altuve homered to left field, a 372-foot shot that also drove in Shewmake and Matthews. The three-run blast gave the visitors a 4-1 advantage. Diaz added to the momentum in the third inning with a two-run homer to left (389 feet), extending the lead to 6-1.
Washington began chipping away at the deficit later in the third. García Jr. doubled to left to score Nuñez, making it 6-2. Mead followed with a single to left, scoring Wood to bring the score to 6-3.
However, the Nationals tied the game in the same inning when Abrams homered to right field (392 feet), driving in both García Jr. and Mead to make it 6-6.
Fifth Inning Decides It
The fifth inning proved to be the turning point. Mead gave Houston a 7-6 lead with a solo home run to left-center (404 feet). Millas then hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Abrams, putting the Astros ahead 8-6.
The inning ended with Wood’s grand slam to center (446 feet), which scored Crews, Young, and Nuñez. The four-run blast gave Washington a commanding 12-8 lead.
Astros Rally Fall Short
Houston attempted a comeback in the sixth inning. Shewmake grounded into a double play, but Smith scored to make it 12-9. The Astros continued to apply pressure in the eighth inning. Shewmake doubled to right to score Wade Jr., narrowing the gap to 12-10. Matthews then homered to left (363 feet), scoring Diaz and Shewmake to make the final score 12-11.
Miles Mikolas earned the win for Washington, pitching six innings and allowing seven earned runs. Cole Henry pitched 1.2 innings, and Clayton Beeter recorded the save with 1.1 scoreless innings. For Houston, Mike Burrows took the loss after pitching 4.1 innings with seven earned runs allowed. AJ Blubaugh, Nate Pearson, and Enyel De Los Santos pitched the remaining innings for the Astros.
The game drew an attendance of 11,092 at Nationals Park in Washington, District of Columbia.
Sources
https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816045
