WASHINGTON (Interstat) — The Houston Astros overcame a late-inning deficit and a 12-11 loss the previous night to defeat the Washington Nationals 6-3 Tuesday at Nationals Park, using a three-run fourth inning and a solo home run from Jose Altuve to secure the win in front of 20,424 fans.

The game took 3 hours, 9 minutes and featured an unlikely outcome: Houston collected only six hits but scored six runs, while Washington managed 11 hits but scored just three. The Astros improved to 46-48, while the Nationals fell to 47-46.

Steven Okert earned the win with 1⅓ innings of scoreless relief, striking out three and allowing one hit. Okert improved to 2-1 on the season. Andrew Alvarez took the loss, dropping to 2-2 after allowing four runs on four hits over six innings, though only two of the runs were earned. Josh Hader recorded his 10th save with a dramatic ninth inning, allowing one run on one hit while striking out one in one-third of an inning.

The game’s most critical sequence occurred in the top of the fourth inning, when the Astros turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Christian Walker led off with a single off Alvarez, and Cam Smith walked. Zach Dezenzo forced out Smith at second, but Walker advanced to third. Brice Matthews walked to load the bases, then Nick Allen delivered the decisive blow: a two-run single to left field that scored Walker and Dezenzo, putting Houston ahead 3-2. Matthews advanced to second on the hit. Christian Vazquez followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Matthews and giving Houston a 4-2 advantage.

That rally erased Washington’s momentum after the Nationals had taken a 2-1 lead in the third. James Wood, who homered in the first inning to give Washington a 1-0 lead, walked to start the third. Luis Garcia Jr. singled, and after a groundout moved Garcia to second, CJ Abrams lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Wood.

Houston had tied the game in the second inning without a base hit that produced a run. Christian Walker was hit by a pitch, Smith walked, and Matthews singled to load the bases. Allen then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Walker and knotting the score at 1-1.

After the Astros took the lead in the fourth, they added an insurance run in the sixth. Dezenzo walked, moved to third on a fly out by Matthews, and scored on a single by Vazquez. That made it 5-2.

Altuve sealed the victory in the eighth with a solo home run to left-center, his 10th of the season, extending the lead to 6-2.

Washington made a late push in the ninth. Jose Tena led off with a solo home run to right-center, cutting the lead to 6-3. James Wood followed with a single, but Andres Chaparro struck out. Curtis Mead singled, and Wood advanced to third on a throwing error by shortstop Nick Allen. With runners at second and third, CJ Abrams walked to load the bases. Hader, who entered with two outs, then struck out Dylan Crews swinging to end the game.

Nick Allen finished 1-for-2 with three runs batted in, accounting for half of Houston’s runs. Altuve went 1-for-5 with his homer and an RBI. Matthews was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Vazquez drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly. Okert, Bryan Abreu (1 inning, 1 hit, 0 earned runs, 1 strikeout) and Enyel De Los Santos (1 inning, 1 hit, 0 earned runs) combined to hold Washington scoreless over the middle innings.

Washington’s lineup generated 11 hits but stranded nine runners. Wood homered and singled twice, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. Garcia had two hits. Mead added two hits, including a double. Tena’s homer was his fifth of the season.

The win was especially important for Houston, which had lost the series opener Monday in a 12-11 slugfest that went 11 innings. The Astros had dropped four of their previous five games entering Tuesday. Washington had won three of its previous four.

Houston returns to Nationals Park on Wednesday for the series finale before heading to Texas for a weekend series against the Rangers. Washington hosts the New York Yankees over the weekend.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington 6, Houston 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Houston a 51.40 percent probability to win. Houston was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5.