Houston Astros (22-12, first in the AL West) vs. Washington Nationals (12-23, fifth in the NL East)
Washington; Sunday, 1:35 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Justin Verlander (4-1, 1.55 ERA, .64 WHIP, 36 strikeouts); Nationals: Patrick Corbin (0-5, 6.06 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 31 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -202, Nationals +170; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1.
Washington has a 12-23 record overall and a 5-14 record at home. The Nationals have gone 8-14 in games when they have allowed at least one home run.
Houston has a 9-4 record at home and a 22-12 record overall. The Astros rank fourth in MLB play with 44 total home runs, averaging 1.3 per game.
Sunday's game is the third time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Maikel Franco has 10 doubles and three home runs for the Nationals. Juan Soto is 11-for-38 with three doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games.
Yordan Alvarez leads Houston with 11 home runs while slugging .615. Jose Altuve is 12-for-34 with four home runs and six RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 3-7, .275 batting average, 4.40 ERA, outscored by three runs
Astros: 9-1, .255 batting average, 2.33 ERA, outscored opponents by 29 runs
INJURIES: Nationals: 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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