ASTROS FALL SHORT
Framber joins elite company, but Astros can’t finish the job
Jul 28, 2025, 10:45 pm
The Nationals beat the Astros, 2-1. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Riley Adams hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning to lift the Washington Nationals to a 2-1 win over the Houston Astros on Monday night.
The game was tied 1-all with two outs in the seventh when Adams connected off Bryan King (3-2) on his 348-foot shot to the seats in right field to put Washington on top.
Christian Walker doubled to lead off the bottom of the inning and Jacob Melton walked. But Yainer Diaz grounded into a double play before Luis García struck out Mauricio Dubón to end the threat.
Konnor Pilkington (2-0) got the last two outs of the sixth for the win and Kyle Finnegan struck out one in the ninth for his 20th save.
The Astros have dropped a season-high five straight games after being swept in a four-game series by the Athletics this weekend. The AL West leaders have dropped 10 of their last 11 home games and managed just one run for a third straight game.
Nationals’ starter Brad Lord retired the first 14 batters before Diaz walked with two outs in the fifth. Dubón followed with a double on a line drive to left field that scored Diaz and put Houston up 1-0.
There were two outs in the sixth when Framber Valdez walked Josh Bell. Nathaniel Lowe’s double to the right field corner scored Bell and tied the game at 1.
Valdez allowed three hits and a run while tying a season high with 12 strikeouts in six innings to become the 10th pitcher in franchise history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts (1,007). Houston’s bullpen struck out seven more as the team tied a season high with 19 strikeouts.
Washington starter Brad Lord yielded one hit and one run in 5 1/3 innings.
Key moment
The home run by Adams.
Key stat
Eleven of Adams’ 22 hits this season have been for extra bases.
Up next
RHP Michael Soroka (3-8, 4.85 ERA) will start for the Nationals when the series continues Tuesday night. The Astros haven’t announced a starter.
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The Astros’ latest showdown with the Yankees was more than another chapter in baseball’s best modern rivalry, it was a measuring stick for where Houston stands heading into the stretch run.
At the plate, it’s hard to ask for much more from Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve. Correa hasn’t just been good since rejoining the team, he’s been absurd, hitting over .400 with an OPS pushing 1.100. Altuve keeps stacking milestone moments, and Christian Walker’s bat has been a steady force as well. The collective numbers tell a similar story: since the trade deadline, Houston ranks eighth in OPS and fifth in batting average. And yet, the run total still sits right where it’s been most of the year, squarely in the middle of the pack at 16th. The pieces are there, but the offense hasn’t fully exploded.
The more pressing concern, though, is on the mound. What was an elite pitching staff for most of the season has been much more ordinary lately — 13th in ERA and 15th in WHIP over the past month, with similar August rankings. Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, and Spencer Arrighetti are still working their way back to full strength, and until they do, the bullpen is carrying more innings than Joe Espada would like. That’s a dangerous formula when one of your key arms, in this case Javier, is coming back with control issues. In three rehab starts for Sugar Land, he walked 10 batters in just 9.2 innings, so don’t expect him to go much beyond 3–4 innings in his first start back Monday night against Boston. (I hope I'm wrong).
Complicating matters: the Mariners aren’t just lurking, they’re surging. Seven straight wins, nine of their last ten, and now only a half-game back of Houston. This AL West race has all the makings of a sprint to the finish, and the final series between the two teams could decide it.
If the Astros do hang on, Joe Espada should get plenty of credit, maybe even Manager of the Year. He’s managed through a roster crunch that once saw 18 players on the injured list, navigated the post-Alex Bregman and post-Kyle Tucker transition, and still found ways to develop young talent like Cam Smith. That’s a rare balancing act in any season, let alone one with this much turbulence. Oh yeah, he's also missing that Yordan Alvarez guy for most of the season.
Monday night fireworks!
Javier and Bregman returning is big, but seeing Correa back in Astros colors might be the real showstopper. In orange and blue, he looks like he never left—and maybe even more dangerous than before. Jim Crane’s bold deadline push has only added to the firepower, and no one might benefit more than Jose Altuve.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode on Thursday!
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