Nats beat Astros 2-1 on July 28, 2025, as Riley Adams' HR and Brad Lord's gem overcame 19 strikeouts. Kyle Finnegan gets his 20th save in a gritty win.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. The Washington Nationals somehow managed to strike out 19 times against the Houston Astros on Monday night and still walk away with a 2-1 victory. In a game defined by dominant pitching and offensive futility, it was a clutch seventh-inning solo shot from Riley Adams and a near-perfect start from Brad Lord that made all the difference.
The Nationals struck out 19 times against Houston pitching but managed to secure the win.
Brad Lord was simply untouchable to start the game, retiring the first 14 Astros he faced. He was cruising until the sixth inning, when Houston finally broke through for their only run. But the Nats' offense, after being baffled all night, had an answer. Following Nathaniel Lowe's game-tying RBI double, catcher Riley Adams stepped up in the seventh and launched a tiebreaking solo home run, his 11th extra-base hit of the year. The bullpen was flawless, with Konnor Pilkington getting the win and Kyle Finnegan locking down his 20th save of the season with a clean ninth. It was a classic case of pitching carrying the day.
While the big-league club celebrated a win, the latest organizational report card brought mixed news. Following the 2025 MLB Draft, the Nationals' farm system ranking dropped from 19th to 22nd, according to Bleacher Report. This comes despite landing the No. 1 overall pick, 17-year-old switch-hitter Eli Willits. While Willits has immense power potential, he's viewed as a long-term project, and the system's lack of a consensus top-tier prospect ready for immediate impact led to the dip in the rankings.
Don't let the overall ranking fool you; there's some serious heat brewing in the minors. Twenty-year-old Travis Sykora is putting up video game numbers in Single-A, leading all of minor league baseball with a staggering 39.9% strikeout rate and a 0.83 WHIP. Not to be outdone, Jarlin Susana and his 103 mph fastball are thriving at High-A, showing improved control to go with his elite velocity. These young arms, along with recent acquisition Alex Clemmey and a healthy Cade Cavalli, are providing a much-needed pitching foundation for a system that was recently dominated by bats.
The Nats will look to build on this gritty win Tuesday night in Houston. Right-hander Michael Soroka (3-8, 4.85 ERA) gets the ball, hoping for a bit more run support than Lord received. Can the offense wake up and make it a more comfortable victory, or will Washington's arms need to deliver another masterpiece to secure the series?
