We knew the winning streak would have to end at some point. I would’ve liked to see it last a little longer than three days, but that’s baseball. Compared to the high-energy style of play that we’ve seen from this team over the past few days, tonight wasn’t really a huge fall from that trend; they were just out-executed on numerous occasions throughout tonight’s game.
It was a little bit of a struggle tonight for Michael Soroka in what we assume was his final outing in a Nationals uniform. He only lasted 3.1 innings tonight, surrendering only two runs, so the damage was minimal. The Houston lineup did an outstanding job of working counts and fouling off pitches over and over again. Soroka, however, consistently struggled to find the putaway pitches when he needed them.
The Astros started the scoring in the bottom of the first against Soroka, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI double by Cam Smith. Soroka would bounce back to strand Smith on base and then strand two more runners in the second inning.
The top of the third saw the game take a swing in the Nats’ direction, thanks to one literal swing off the bat of Luis Garcia Jr. Garcia got an 0-2 changeup from Jason Alexander that was in a good spot from a pitcher’s perspective, the ball was almost in the dirt, but Luis stuck his bat out there and got just enough power behind it to send it over the right field fence and put the Nationals ahead 2-1.
That lead lasted until the bottom of the fourth when the Astros landed the knockout punch on Soroka via an opposite field solo homer by Yainer Diaz to even the game at two. That would be all for Soroka, as it was pretty clear that he didn’t have his best stuff tonight, and the Astros weren’t fooled by much. Will that be the last time we see Soroka in a Nats’ uniform? We are less than 48-hours to the trade deadline.
“The Nationals have done really well by me. It’s been fun, and whatever happens, happens, but it’s a good place — a lot of good guys. I’m ready for whatever comes next.”
— Soroka said after the game
The tie would be broken for good in the bottom of the fifth as Andry Lara came in with two outs, replacing Andrew Chafin, and immediately gave up the go-ahead RBI single to Cooper Hummel, putting Houston ahead 3-2.
- Michael Soroka: 3.1 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 0 walks, 4 strikeouts, 74 pitches
- Jason Alexander: 4.2 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, 80 pitches
The Astros continued the damage against Lara in the bottom of the sixth, adding to the lead with an RBI single by Jose Altuve and a two-run single by Christian Walker to open it up and make it 6-2 Astros.
The Nats got a run back in the top half of the seventh on a welcome sight: James Wood picked up an RBI single on a scorched line drive into right center, giving us a glimpse of the James Wood we’ve seen for most of the season. He struggled in the rest of his at-bats tonight, but the hit had to feel good for him. I know it felt good for me to watch.
The Nats got one more run back in the top of the eighth on an RBI double by Daylen Lile, but that would be all as they ended up stranding eight guys on base tonight. A scoreless ninth inning by the excellent Houston closer, Josh Hader, put this game away for good and evened the series at a game apiece.
Positives tonight weren’t very abundant on the pitching side of things; Cole Henry and Jackson Rutledge were the only Washington relievers to post scoreless outings tonight. Offensively, CJ Abrams earned a major shoutout tonight. He’s played with his hair on fire the past couple of days and continued to do so tonight. He was on base four times this evening, putting up three hits and also swiping three bases in the process. For Abrams, these past few nights have been a glimpse of the tremendous upside he possesses, and it makes you wonder how good he could be if he played with this same fire on a consistent day-to-day basis. The Nats also got multi-hit games from Garcia and Lile, in what was a ten-hit night for the offense.
The series will conclude tomorrow afternoon with the series on the line at 2:10. The Nats have the right man for the job on the hill as MacKenzie Gore (4-10, 3.52 ERA) will look to get back to the form that earned him his first career all-star nod earlier this season. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Gore, but if he can turn it around tomorrow afternoon, it’ll give the boys a shot at their third consecutive series win.
