Astros Lose to Nats, Start New Streak Tomorrow

The Astros entered Saturday night’s game looking for their 12th victory in a row over the hosting Washington Nationals.

Instead they surrendered more runs than they had during their entire winning streak. After giving up 12 runs over their prior 11 games, they gave up 13 through the first six innings against the last place Nationals.

Cristian Javier (2-0, 1.19) made his third start of the season, and his eighth appearance overall. With 26 strikeouts and only seven walks in 22 ²⁄₃ innings so far, he boasted a 0.88 WHIP. His opponent for the game, Erick Fedde (2-2, 3.77) was making his eighth start of the season, and had a 1.48 WHIP for his troubles.

Entering the game with a living, breathing 11-game winning streak, the Houston Astros were looking to extend to a franchise-record tying 12th in a row. They had already achieved this milestone three times, most recently in June of 2018.

The Nationals struck for a first-inning lead with a two-out RBI-single by Yadiel Hernandez, scoring Juan Soto. With two outs in the bottom of the third, Hernandez blasted his third home run of the season for a 4-0 Nationals lead just barely over the right field fence and pretty close to the foul pole. It had a 99 MPH exit velocity and traveled 357 feet from home plate.

In the top half of the fourth frame, the Astros got on the board after Yuli Gurriel doubled in Kyle Tucker. Aledmys Diaz followed by singling in Gurriel and getting Houston back within a pair.

The Astros momentum was short lived, however. The bottom of the inning would see Nelson Cruz smack a bases-clearing double for a 7-2 Washington lead. Phil Maton replaced Javier with two outs, and he got Hernandez to ground out 1-3 to end the inning. Javier’s final line was seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out five and over his 3 ²⁄₃ innings, and saw his ERA grow to 3.20.

Jose Siri opened the fifth inning with his second home run of the season. With a velocity of 109.3 MPH off the bat, the ball traveled 427 feet to nearly dead center field.

Maikel Franco answered with a two-run shot for Washington in the bottom of the inning off Maton for a 9-3 lead. In the top of the sixth, the Astros scored on a Michael Brantley two-out, bases-loaded single.

Blake Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth for Houston, and ended up giving up another four runs on four hits and a walk. Trailing 13-4, the Astros brought in Ryne Stanek in straight up garbage time for the seventh inning. After the previous three pitchers combined for an in-game WHIP of 3.17, Stanek worked a 1-2-3 inning.

Houston scored a pair in the eighth on a Siri RBI-triple and a Chas McCormick RBI-groundout, then brought Hector Neris in to pitch the bottom part. Neris also worked a 1-2-3 frame, whiffing two Nats. Houston put two on in the ninth, but couldn’t bring anyone else home.

Siri and Gurriel led Houston’s offense with three hits, while Tucker and Diaz had a pair each. The Astros will attempt to start a new streak at 12:35PM against these same Nationals, with Justin Verlander (4-1, 1.55) taking his turn.