Offensive Outburst
CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. delivered the decisive blows as the Washington Nationals routed the Houston Astros 8-2 at Nationals Park. The two batters combined for two home runs, providing the bulk of the offense in a game where the Nationals' bats were far too much for Houston's pitching staff to contain.
The scoring began in the third inning when Abrams hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Wood to score and give Washington a 1-0 lead. Later in the same frame, Lile doubled to left, and García Jr. crossed the plate to extend the advantage to 2-0.
Griffin Dominates
Washington starter Foster Griffin set the tone for the night, pitching seven innings of efficient baseball. He allowed just one earned run on five hits while striking out nine batters and issuing no walks. Griffin secured the win, improving his record to 10-2. Orlando Ribalta and Justin Lawrence closed out the game, combining for two scoreless innings with two hits allowed and one strikeout.
The Nationals' offense exploded in the fourth inning. García Jr. launched a 417-foot home run to right-center field, driving in Ruiz and Wood to make the score 5-0. The momentum continued into the fifth inning, where Washington added three more runs.
Abrams homered to right-center (415 feet) to make it 6-1. Tena grounded out to first, but Lile scored to push the lead to 7-1. Ruiz then hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Crews for an 8-1 advantage.
