Houston Astros (21-11, first in the AL West) vs. Washington Nationals (11-22, fifth in the NL East)
Washington; Friday, 7:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Framber Valdez (1-2, 3.34 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 26 strikeouts); Nationals: Josiah Gray (4-2, 3.45 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 34 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -159, Nationals +136; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros visit the Washington Nationals aiming to extend a three-game road winning streak.
Washington has an 11-22 record overall and a 4-13 record at home. The Nationals have the fourth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .251.
Houston is 21-11 overall and 9-4 in home games. The Astros have gone 11-0 in games when they hit two or more home runs.
The teams meet Friday for the first time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Maikel Franco has nine doubles, two home runs and 18 RBI for the Nationals. Juan Soto is 13-for-42 with two doubles and four home runs over the last 10 games.
Yordan Alvarez leads Houston with 10 home runs while slugging .615. Jose Altuve is 12-for-36 with four home runs and six RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 4-6, .288 batting average, 4.08 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs
Astros: 10-0, .245 batting average, .90 ERA, outscored opponents by 38 runs
INJURIES: Nationals: Alcides Escobar: day-to-day (finger), Aaron Sanchez: day-to-day (hand), Mason Thompson: 60-Day IL (biceps), Sean Doolittle: 60-Day IL (elbow), Anibal Sanchez: 60-Day IL (neck), Ehire Adrianza: 60-Day IL (quadricep), Hunter Harvey: 10-Day IL (pronator), Will Harris: 60-Day IL (pectoral), Seth Romero: 60-Day IL (calf), Stephen Strasburg: 10-Day IL (shoulder/neck), Carter Kieboom: 60-Day IL (right forearm), Joe Ross: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Jeremy Pena: day-to-day (knee), Taylor Jones: 60-Day IL (back), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jacob Meyers: 10-Day IL (shoulder)
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