Miles Mikolas and Mike Burrows both took the mound carrying ERAs pushing 6.00, and neither one made it look better in this one. Mikolas is fresh off a beating in Boston where he gave up 6 earned runs in 7 innings, and Burrows has been just as hittable all year at 4-8 with a 5.98 ERA. Add in that Mikolas is serving a 5-game suspension stemming from last week's benches-clearing scrum with the Red Sox, and Washington's rotation picture is messier than the record suggests.
Houston's lineup has holes it can't paper over. Carlos Correa is done for the year after ankle surgery, and Jeremy Pena, who was filling that shortstop void, is only now starting a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land. Lance McCullers Jr. has looked sharp in his own rehab starts, which is at least a flicker of good news for a rotation that's been stretched thin, but none of that helps Espada's lineup on a night like this one.
The Nationals, meanwhile, are dealing with a bullpen that's been living dangerously — they blew a late lead against Pittsburgh just a day earlier, coughing up 7 runs over the final two innings in an 11-5 loss with manager Blake Butera pointing to a D.C. heat wave zapping his relievers. None of that got fixed overnight, and it showed.
Washington built this game with two knockout innings — a 5-spot in the 3rd and a 6-spot in the 5th — and needed every bit of that cushion. Houston kept clawing, including a 4-run 8th that made it a one-run game before the Nationals shut the door. 13 hits and zero errors for Washington against 12 hits and 2 errors for Houston tells you which side was cleaner when it mattered, even if neither bullpen made anyone comfortable.
Both clubs sit basically even in the standings, 46-45 and 45-47, and both have been streaky rather than steady — the Nationals took two blowouts off Boston before dropping 2 of 3 to Pittsburgh, while the Astros split with Minnesota before beating Tampa Bay twice, one of those a walk-off. That kind of inconsistency is exactly why a game like this turns into batting practice.
- 10-Day-ILJeremy Pena SS — Pena (calf) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILLance McCullers Jr. SP — McCullers (shoulder) struck out three and allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk across four innings Wednesday in a rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land.
- 15-Day-ILKai-Wei Teng RP — The Astros rescinded Teng's option and placed him on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right knee sprain, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILBennett Sousa RP — Sousa (elbow) will throw a simulated game at Daikin Park on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRonel Blanco SP — Blanco (elbow) struck out four and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk across 4.1 innings Wednesday in a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi.
- 60-Day-ILHayden Wesneski SP — Wesneski (elbow) began a rehab assignment at the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Tuesday, tossing three scoreless innings with one strikeout.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter SP — The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Correa SS — Correa is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday in Houston to repair the tendon in his left ankle, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- SuspensionCade Cavalli SP — Cavalli's suspension for his actions during the benches-clearing incident Tuesday versus the Red Sox has been reduced from seven games to five games, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Irvin (shoulder) is slated to face live hitters in batting practice Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILRichard Lovelady RP — The Nationals placed Lovelady on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left triceps strain.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams SP — Williams (elbow) is slated to make his third rehab start Wednesday at Triple-A Rochester, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMitchell Parker RP — The Nationals transferred Parker (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) was diagnosed Monday with a left flexor strain, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — Kranick (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Sunday, striking out two over 1.2 perfect innings.
- 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk RP — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Neither team is whole right now, and it's fair to wonder how many more slugfests either pitching staff can survive before something breaks. For one night, Washington had just enough offense — and just enough bullpen — to get out ahead.