The Nationals beat the Astros 8-2 as 3 players continue to have career years

When an experienced big leaguer reaches a milestone or eclipses a career high, the calendar typically says August or September. Rarely does that accomplishment come in July and certainly not before the All-Star Break.

The Nationals, though, have been atypical in many ways, exceeding expectations and shattering career highs as the wins have piled up.

On Wednesday night at Nationals Park, CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr. and Foster Griffin spearheaded the Nationals’ 8-2 victory over the Houston Astros as the trio continued career seasons.

Abrams and García both hit their 20th homers, while Abrams reached a career high in RBIs. Griffin, a 30-year-old rookie, earned his 10th win.

“Just a testament again to the way they prepare, the way they go about their business, the job our coaches do,” manager Blake Butera said. “Couldn’t be happier for both CJ and Luis for those career highs.”

In the third inning with two runners in scoring position, Abrams hit a significant sacrifice fly. It gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead. And it gave Abrams — named to his second All-Star appearance Saturday — a career high in RBIs. Daylen Lile tacked on an RBI double in the ensuing at-bat.

Over the last two seasons, Abrams primarily batted first because leadoff hitters have been seen as speedy infielders. But Abrams doesn’t fit the mold of a typical leadoff hitter. He projects more as a free swinger who can drive in runs. He has 67 RBIs.

This season, the Nationals moved him down in the order primarily to break up the lefties at the top. It also, as a result, gave him more opportunities to drive in runs. It’s worked.

Abrams entered Wednesday’s game with 102 plate appearances with runners in scoring position this season, putting him on pace for 178. In those appearances, he was batting .341 with a 1.002 OPS and 49 RBIs, tied for fifth in the major leagues. Last season, he had only 124 plate appearances in those situations. The year prior, he had 142.

Butera and Abrams both credited the shortstop’s approach, shrinking the strike zone and simplifying things in the biggest moments. Abrams said maintaining those results will be a product of his plate discipline.

Then, in the Nationals’ three-run fifth, Abrams tied his career high with his 20th homer, giving him a shot to break his personal best with three games left before the All-Star break.

He’s one of six Nationals who has reached or surpassed his career high in long balls. As a group, they’re tied with the Yankees for most homers in the majors.

“Just adds to the good vibes in here,” Abrams said. “We have good vibes already, coming in every day, having fun and enjoying putting in the work, and it shows on the field.”

One inning before, García launched a three-run homer in the fourth to extend the Nationals’ lead to 5-0 and continue one of the best stretches in club history.

He’s one of four players in team history with 11-plus homers over an 18-game stretch, joining Bryce Harper (2015), Juan Soto (2019) and Kyle Schwarber (2021).

“It feels really good,” García said through interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “Getting to 20 home runs is something that I wanted. But the most important thing here is to help the team win.”

García is hitting the ball harder and lifting it from gap to gap more than he ever has, though he’s still swinging at pitches outside the strike zone 41.2% of the time.

His homer on a 0-1 curveball was a reminder of another improvement — he’s hitting breaking balls at the highest clip of his career, batting .310 with a .571 slugging percentage entering Wednesday. García said he’s always hunting the fastball but his ability to maintain his weight back on his left leg allows him to adjust to breaking pitches.

Their offensive exploits provided a lead for Griffin, who allowed one run or zero for the seventh straight outing.

“It’s insane,” Griffin said. “I feel like every time I go out there for the second, third inning, we’re already up. It’s really easy to go out there and keep attacking the other lineup when you got a lead.”

Outside of a fifth-inning RBI single by Brice Matthews, Griffin confounded Astros hitters. He allowed five hits and struck out nine.

Griffin is known for keeping hitters off balance and generating weak contact. But on Wednesday his pitches resulted in more swings and misses.

The Astros whiffed at 22 of Griffin’s 57 pitches (39%, well above his season average of 24.8%). Their starting lineup was stacked with eight righties, but the group couldn’t generate much hard contact against his cutter or sweeper.

Griffin, who entered the year with seven big league appearances, is crushing career highs with each start he makes. His ERA and WHIP dropped to 2.77 and 1.02, respectively. With the trade deadline less than a month away, Griffin will continue to be a subject of rumors.

But on Wednesday none of that mattered. Instead, Griffin received a standing ovation from Nationals fans, in recognition of his career year for a team that wouldn’t be in this position without him.

“I just know we feel really good in the dugout when he’s on the mound,” Butera said. “Every time out, it’s like you’re just waiting to see if he can do it again and do it again. And he keeps doing it every time out there.”

This article has been updated.