James Wood’s monster grand slam lifts the Nationals in a game they nearly let slip away

Where a batter looks after a ball leaves his bat is frequently a signal of how well he hit it. One who watches the ball’s flight is often unsure where it’ll land. One who looks down at the ground typically knows he’s out. And then there’s the one who looks at his own dugout; he usually has no doubt where it’s headed — the seats.

So when James Wood rocked a baseball 109.8 mph through the night in the fifth inning, he looked at his dugout.

“I had a pretty good idea,” Wood said of his blast.

His teammates and coaches stared at the ball, not because they weren’t sure of where it’d end up, but because they weren’t sure how far it would go.

“It’s awesome,” shortstop CJ Abrams said. “450 to dead center is always fun to watch.”

Only four people in the park seemed not to admire the ball’s flight: Wood and his three teammates who occupied each of the bases and began their trots toward home.

Little did Wood or the Nationals know, his 446-foot grand slam on Monday night proved to be critical in their 12-11 victory over the Astros.

Washington scored 11 unanswered runs between the third and fifth innings, capped off by Wood’s homer. The Astros responded with four unanswered between the sixth and eighth. Center fielder Brice Matthews hit a three-run homer in the eighth to cut the deficit to one.

Clayton Beeter earned the save in the ninth to salvage the victory.

On a night where 23 runs were scored, Wood showed why he’s the most valuable offensive player to the league’s best scoring offense. And why it’s a stunner that, though he’s heading to Philadelphia for the Midsummer Classic, he won’t be starting in it.

Wood finished 1-for-2 with that grand slam, three walks, a steal and three runs scored, bringing him to 81 runs on the season — 19 more than Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who ranks second in the category.

He leads National League outfielders in home runs (24) and walks (73). He’s second in on-base percentage (.398), slugging percentage (.541) and doubles (22).

“I’ve been using the word ‘impressive’ too many times already, but I have no other way to describe it,” manager Blake Butera said. “What he does, it’s fun to be in the dugout watching him do his thing. When he hits it and then looks in the dugout at his teammates and fires everybody up, it’s pretty cool.”

Wood’s first career grand slam was an inside-the-park homer in May. His teammates joked that this was his first real one. Was it more enjoyable than the first?

“A little bit less stressful,” he said.

Back in the top of the third inning, Wood hitting a significant homer would’ve seemed unlikely after Miles Mikolas put his team in an early hole.

Mikolas, who is still awaiting the appeal of his five-game suspension for his role in the Nationals’ brawl with the Red Sox on June 30, followed a familiar script. He has the fifth-lowest whiff percentage in the league, meaning he doesn’t generate many swings and misses. As a result, he struggles to get timely outs when he needs them. Monday was no different.

He threw 20 of 27 pitches for first-pitch strikes but struggled to put hitters away, and he allowed six runs with two outs. Overall, 10 of the Astros’ 11 runs came with two outs.

In the first, he allowed an RBI double to first baseman Christian Walker on a ball Jacob Young nearly robbed at the wall in center. He allowed four straight two-out hits in the second, including a three-run homer by second baseman Jose Altuve. Finally, in the third, he walked Cam Smith with two outs before catcher Yainer Diaz hit a home run to give Houston a 6-1 lead.

To that point, Wood scored the Nationals’ only run on an RBI double by Curtis Mead. But in the bottom of the third, both played a pivotal role in changing the momentum of the game.

Washington’s first five base runners reached base. Nasim Nuñez singled. Wood walked. Luis García Jr. hit an RBI double. Mead added an RBI single. Abrams cleared the bases with a three-run homer that provided the game with a fresh start.

“The ability this group has 1-through-9, plus the bench, just to be able to have a good at-bat and pass it back to the next guy and not feel like they need to do it all themselves definitely takes pressure off one another,” Butera said.

Mead broke the tie in the fifth with a solo homer into the left field bullpen. Drew Millas tacked on an RBI sacrifice fly later in the frame. And, to give the Nationals a chance to blow it open, it took some extra effort.

Nuñez hit a grounder with two outs to Altuve, but beat out the throw to keep the line moving for Wood.

Wood made sure Nuñez’s efforts weren’t for naught.

On a night where the Nationals’ shaky bullpen nearly reared its head, the team needed everything they could get from their All-Star outfielder.

“When he comes up, nobody on, he gets on base, he walks, he gets hits,” Mikolas said. “When he comes up, he’s got guys on, he can put a big swing on it and he can leave the ballpark at any moment. It’s super fun. It’s exciting to watch.”