The Nationals scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat the Houston Astros, 3-2 Wednesday night at Nationals Park.
The win improved the Nationals' record to 10-3, the best start to a season for the Nationals/Expos franchise since 1981.
Jordan Zimmermann was unlucky to get a no decision on the evening, allowing just one run on four hits over seven innings of play. He left the game with the score tied 1-1. Houston had taken a 1-0 lead on Travis Buck's RBI groundout in the top of the fourth inning. Washington tied the score in the bottom of the seventh when Roger Bernadina's two-out double scored Rick Ankiel.
Ryan Mattheus came in for the eighth inning and allowed Houston to break the tie, as Jason Castro scored on Jordan Schafer's single.
Fortunately for Washington, Houston's bullpen couldn't hold the lead, as Fernando Rodriguez, Wesley Wright, and Rhiner Cruz allowed the first four batters to reach in the bottom of the eighth, with the tying run scoring on Jayson Werth's bases-loaded walk. After Ankiel grounded into a fielder's choice, Wilson Ramos lifted a sacrifice fly into center field that scored Adam LaRoche with the winning run.
Henry Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the win.
For more on this series check out the SBNation Nationals blog Federal Baseball. For more information on the team in the other clubhouse, check out the Astros blog The Crawfish Boxes. For more news and notes from around Major League Baseball, check out the MLB Hub on SBNation.com.
