HOUSTON — For an Astros team that had scored a total of eight runs in its previous five games, Tuesday night must have felt like an offensive explosion.
Yainer Diaz clubbed a game-tying home run in the fourth inning and pinch-hitter Cooper Hummel added a go-ahead single in the fifth to send the Astros to a 7-4 win over the Nationals, snapping a five-game losing streak — all of which had come at Daikin Park.
Hummel’s single broke a 2-2 tie, and the Astros scored three more times in the sixth on consecutive bases-loaded hits by Jose Altuve and Christian Walker, whose single scored a pair to take over the team lead with 55 RBIs. Lefty reliever Bennett Sousa retired all four batters he faced to pick up in the win.
An Astros team that is looking for offensive upgrades at the Trade Deadline, as well as getting All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña (rib fracture) back in the starting lineup in the coming days, won for the first time since sweeping three games at Arizona a week ago. The Astros are 1 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays and Tigers for the best record in the American League.
