Washington survived a five-run hole and a late Astros rally to win 12-11 on Monday, and now they get a shot to close out the series behind their best arm.
Bush’s Picks
HOUWSH
HOUWSH
OverUnder
Best BetNationals
Griffin's been the one truly reliable arm in this series and gives Washington a real stabilizing presence that Houston can't match right now. The Astros are patching together a rotation missing half its projected Opening Day group, and Arrighetti's recent volatility makes him a tougher bet to trust in a series-closer spot. Backing the Nationals moneyline lines up with who's actually healthy and rolling.
Astros
+Arrighetti's last start was his best in weeks
+Altuve and Diaz can flip a game with power
−Rotation gutted: Pena, McCullers, Blanco, Correa all out
−Arrighetti battled a brutal homer-prone stretch recently
Nationals
+Griffin's a 9-2, sub-3 ERA workhorse right now
+Just won a wild comeback behind Wood's slam
−Cavalli suspended, thinning an already banged-up rotation
−Bullpen let a four-run eighth slip through Monday
Foster Griffin (9-2, 2.87 ERA) takes the ball for Washington looking to salt away the series, while Spencer Arrighetti (7-4, 3.81 ERA) tries to stop the bleeding for an Astros club that can't afford to keep losing series to a team hovering right around .500. First pitch is 6:45 PM ET on Wednesday, July 8.
Griffin's been the steadiest thing about this Nationals season, a 30-year-old journeyman who's rewritten his profile without the velocity he had as a first-rounder a decade ago. His last time out he worked around trouble against Pittsburgh and got the win. Arrighetti's story is messier — he was nearly untouchable early in the year before hitting a brutal stretch of homer trouble, though his last start against Tampa Bay (6 innings, 1 earned run) looked like a step back in the right direction.
Show fees
6:45 PM ET
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HOU Astros
WSH Nationals
Both rotations are running thin. Houston is still without Jeremy Pena, Lance McCullers Jr., Ronel Blanco and others, and Carlos Correa is out for the year after ankle surgery. Washington isn't exactly full strength either, missing multiple starters to injury and now shorthanded after Cade Cavalli drew a suspension for his role in last week's benches-clearing scrap with the Red Sox.
Houston Astros
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Washington Nationals
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Monday's series opener was a mess in the best way. Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz went deep to stake Houston to a 6-1 lead, and it looked like a laugher. Then James Wood connected for a 446-foot grand slam, CJ Abrams and Curtis Mead each drove in three, and Washington's bullpen barely survived a four-run eighth-inning rally from Houston before hanging on for the win.
Houston Astros
Jul 7?@ Nationals—
Washington Nationals
Jul 7?vs Astros—
Recent form.
Neither bullpen covered itself in glory that night — Astros starter Peyton Butt Burrows got rocked for 10 runs, and Washington's relief corps gave up four in the eighth before closing it out. If Wednesday goes anywhere near that direction, Griffin and Arrighetti both need more than one clean inning to keep this from turning into another race to the finish.
