Foster Griffin pitched seven strong innings, Luis Garcia Jr. had three hits including a three-run homer and the Washington Nationals beat the visiting Houston Astros 8-2 on Wednesday.
CJ Abrams also homered for Washington, which took two of three from Houston, and Daylen Lile had two hits. James Wood drew three walks and scored twice.
Griffin, who bolstered his case to be a potential injury replacement on the National League All-Star team, gave up a run on five hits and struck out nine without a walk while improving to 10-2. He allowed one run or fewer in a seventh consecutive start and lowered his ERA to 2.77.
“I feel like I had really good command of my cutter and my sweeper especially,” Griffin told Nationals TV. “I was able to keep … the hitters off balance. I feel like they couldn’t make a decision on which one was coming out of the same tunnel.”
Isaac Paredes and Zach Dezenzo each had two hits for the Astros.
Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti (7-5) gave up eight runs on seven hits in four-plus innings. He walked six and struck out two. Astros pitchers allowed nine hits and 10 walks.
Washington took a 2-0 lead in the third. Wood walked and stole second. Garcia walked before Wood went to third on a flyout and scored on Abrams’ sacrifice fly. Lile doubled home Garcia.
The Nationals staged a two-out rally in the fourth. Keibert Ruiz singled, Wood walked and Garcia followed with his 20th homer of the season, a shot to right-center, boosting the lead to 5-0.
In the Houston fifth, Yainer Diaz doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Brice Matthews’ single.
Abrams hit his 20th homer of the season leading off the bottom of the fifth. Lile and Dylan Crews singled before Jorbit Vivas walked to load the bases. Lile scored when Jose Tena grounded out, and Crews came home on a Ruiz sacrifice fly to make it 8-1.
In the Houston eighth, Dezenzo singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Nick Allen’s single led to a throwing error by Abrams at shortstop.
–Field Level Media
