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The Nationals managed to pull together another series win after they defeated the Astros, 8-2, on Wednesday in the last game of the three-game series.
In his last nine starts when Foster Griffin started on the mound, the Nationals went 8-1. He added to that statistic after he paved the way for a Nationals win in his 19th start of the season.
Griffin wasted no time after his strong 1-2-3 first inning closed out the opening frame in the blink of an eye.
Starting pitcher Foster Griffin
Jorbit Vivas then picked up the offensive rhythm in the second inning after he drilled a one out double but it seemed that the Nationals wouldn’t progress any further after two more outs were tacked on.
Somehow the Nationals weren’t able to produce any dominance behind the bat after they left three runners stranded on bases through two innings. The Nationals needed to turn things around offensively before the Astros capitalized on the home team’s lack of aggressiveness.
In no time, the Nationals started to become more aggressive. After a walk, Wood secured his 15th stolen base of the year. With no outs, Luis García Jr. also made his way to first base after he earned a walk.
James Wood shows his clean second base steal.
With Curtis Mead now behind the bat, he looked to do some damage to get his team to home plate first. Even though it wasn’t a run, Mead lined out to center just enough that Wood propelled himself to third.
Now with runners on corners, the Nationals hoped to not repeat the last two innings where they managed to strand base runners. But it didn’t look like they’d fall into their old habits.
García picked up his fourth stolen base of the season. Abrams then took one for the team after he smacked a sacrifice fly out to left to bring Wood home for the first run and lead of the game.
Lile found himself back in a similar position as last inning but this time he found the ball's sweet spot. Lile picked up a double to bring García home for another Nationals run. Now, 2-0, the Nationals needed to ensure that they maintained their ground and wouldn’t allow the Astros to creep in on their lead.
Meanwhile, Griffin continued to execute sharp pitching on the mound that allowed the Nationals to not have to work so hard defensively.
With two outs and runners on first and second base, García stepped up big time after he delivered his team the push they needed to further their lead. García crushed the 76 mph curve ball 417 feet to right center for a three-run home run with now five unanswered Nationals runs. This marks García's 20th home run of the season.
Luis García Jr. reacts to his three-run homer.
The Nationals currently hold the longest active consecutive streak for games with at least one home run in all of the MLB as Wednesday marked the 11th straight game where a Nationals player has homered.
The Astros looked to close in on the Nationals lead before it escaped them. They finally responded to the slight shutout they began to face in the fifth inning. Fortunately, the Nationals only allowed one run as they maintained their now 5-1 lead.
However, it truly seemed that nothing could stop this Nationals' offense as they wasted no time and responded promptly to the Astros run.
Abrams cracked open the bottom of the fifth inning in a big way. Three pitches in, he demolished the 90 mph four-seam fastball 415 feet to right center. With a 6-1 lead, the Nationals continued to keep the pressure on and ensured the Astros defense would have to work overtime.
The momentum kept rolling in the fifth inning after Lile followed up Abrams homer with a single to center. Dylan Crews also got his first hit of the game after he reached on an infield single to second. The Nationals went on and secured two more runs in the fifth inning as they increased their lead to 8-1.
After seven innings, Griffin stepped off the mound. He impressed the D.C. crowd after he only surrendered one run and he tied his career high with nine recorded strikeouts. It would now be up to relief pitcher Orlando Ribalta to hold up his end and help lift his team to a win.
The Nationals left bases loaded in the eighth but it didn't matter because they wouldn't allow the Astros to add anymore runs.
Washington will get Thursday off before they’re back under the D.C. lights on Friday at 6:45 p.m. where they are set to host the Yankees in a three-game series.
Nationals Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Nationals. Create an account, click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
Continue reading...
In his last nine starts when Foster Griffin started on the mound, the Nationals went 8-1. He added to that statistic after he paved the way for a Nationals win in his 19th start of the season.
Griffin wasted no time after his strong 1-2-3 first inning closed out the opening frame in the blink of an eye.
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Starting pitcher Foster Griffin
Jorbit Vivas then picked up the offensive rhythm in the second inning after he drilled a one out double but it seemed that the Nationals wouldn’t progress any further after two more outs were tacked on.
Somehow the Nationals weren’t able to produce any dominance behind the bat after they left three runners stranded on bases through two innings. The Nationals needed to turn things around offensively before the Astros capitalized on the home team’s lack of aggressiveness.
In no time, the Nationals started to become more aggressive. After a walk, Wood secured his 15th stolen base of the year. With no outs, Luis García Jr. also made his way to first base after he earned a walk.
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James Wood shows his clean second base steal.
With Curtis Mead now behind the bat, he looked to do some damage to get his team to home plate first. Even though it wasn’t a run, Mead lined out to center just enough that Wood propelled himself to third.
Now with runners on corners, the Nationals hoped to not repeat the last two innings where they managed to strand base runners. But it didn’t look like they’d fall into their old habits.
García picked up his fourth stolen base of the season. Abrams then took one for the team after he smacked a sacrifice fly out to left to bring Wood home for the first run and lead of the game.
Lile found himself back in a similar position as last inning but this time he found the ball's sweet spot. Lile picked up a double to bring García home for another Nationals run. Now, 2-0, the Nationals needed to ensure that they maintained their ground and wouldn’t allow the Astros to creep in on their lead.
Meanwhile, Griffin continued to execute sharp pitching on the mound that allowed the Nationals to not have to work so hard defensively.
With two outs and runners on first and second base, García stepped up big time after he delivered his team the push they needed to further their lead. García crushed the 76 mph curve ball 417 feet to right center for a three-run home run with now five unanswered Nationals runs. This marks García's 20th home run of the season.
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Luis García Jr. reacts to his three-run homer.
The Nationals currently hold the longest active consecutive streak for games with at least one home run in all of the MLB as Wednesday marked the 11th straight game where a Nationals player has homered.
The Astros looked to close in on the Nationals lead before it escaped them. They finally responded to the slight shutout they began to face in the fifth inning. Fortunately, the Nationals only allowed one run as they maintained their now 5-1 lead.
However, it truly seemed that nothing could stop this Nationals' offense as they wasted no time and responded promptly to the Astros run.
Abrams cracked open the bottom of the fifth inning in a big way. Three pitches in, he demolished the 90 mph four-seam fastball 415 feet to right center. With a 6-1 lead, the Nationals continued to keep the pressure on and ensured the Astros defense would have to work overtime.
The momentum kept rolling in the fifth inning after Lile followed up Abrams homer with a single to center. Dylan Crews also got his first hit of the game after he reached on an infield single to second. The Nationals went on and secured two more runs in the fifth inning as they increased their lead to 8-1.
After seven innings, Griffin stepped off the mound. He impressed the D.C. crowd after he only surrendered one run and he tied his career high with nine recorded strikeouts. It would now be up to relief pitcher Orlando Ribalta to hold up his end and help lift his team to a win.
The Nationals left bases loaded in the eighth but it didn't matter because they wouldn't allow the Astros to add anymore runs.
Washington will get Thursday off before they’re back under the D.C. lights on Friday at 6:45 p.m. where they are set to host the Yankees in a three-game series.
Nationals Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Nationals. Create an account, click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
Continue reading...
