Wood's 4-Run Homer Lifts Nationals Past Astros 12-11

Wood Powers Late Surge

James Wood delivered a decisive blow in the fifth inning, launching a four-run home run that helped the Washington Nationals overcome a persistent Houston Astros team for a 12-11 victory at Nationals Park on Monday, July 6, 2026. The win improved the Nationals' record to 47-45, while the Astros fell to 45-48.

The game began with back-and-forth scoring. In the first inning, the Astros took a 1-0 lead when Walker doubled to center to drive in Paredes. Washington responded immediately in the same frame, tying the game 1-1 as Mead doubled to center to score Wood.

Houston reclaimed the lead in the second inning on a three-run blast by Altuve, who homered to left field (372 feet) to score Shewmake and Matthews, making it 4-1. The Nationals answered in the third with two runs of their own. Diaz homered to left (389 feet) to score Smith, bringing the score to 6-1.

The rally continued as García Jr. doubled to left to score Nuñez, followed by Mead singling to left to score Wood, making it 6-3.

Washington took the lead for good in the bottom of the third. Abrams homered to right (392 feet) to score García Jr. and Mead, pushing the score to 6-6. The Nationals added two more runs in the fifth inning.

Mead homered to left center (404 feet) to make it 6-7, and Millas hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Abrams, extending the lead to 6-8.

The momentum shifted dramatically when Wood homered to center (446 feet) in the fifth inning. The four-run blast scored Crews, Young, and Nuñez, giving Washington a 12-6 advantage. Houston began chipping away at the deficit in the sixth inning. Shewmake grounded into a double play, but Smith scored to make it 7-12.

The Astros mounted a late comeback attempt in the eighth inning. Shewmake doubled to right to score Wade Jr., making it 8-12. Matthews then homered to left (363 feet) to score Diaz and Shewmake, bringing the score to 11-12. Despite the late surge, the Nationals held on for the win.

Pitching Performances

Miles Mikolas earned the win for Washington, pitching six innings and allowing seven earned runs on nine hits. He was supported by Cole Henry, who pitched 1.2 innings, and Clayton Beeter, who recorded the save with 1.1 scoreless innings.

For Houston, Mike Burrows took the loss after pitching 4.1 innings and allowing seven earned runs. AJ Blubaugh pitched 1.2 innings, while Nate Pearson and Enyel De Los Santos each pitched one inning for the Astros. The game drew 11,092 fans to Nationals Park in Washington, District of Columbia.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816045