WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Foster Griffin pitched seven strong innings and Luis García Jr. hit a three-run homer as the Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 8-2 on Wednesday night at Nationals Park in front of 17,760 fans in a game that lasted 2 hours, 54 minutes.

Griffin, a left-hander now 10-2 on the season, allowed one earned run on five hits and struck out nine without a walk. He retired the side in order in the first, second, third, sixth and seventh innings. The only blemish came in the fifth when Houston strung together two hits for a run. Griffin had gone at least six innings in four of his past five starts, including a seven-inning, nine-strikeout win at Baltimore on June 27.

The Nationals broke open a scoreless game with two runs in the third inning. James Wood walked to lead off, and García walked to put two on. After a lineout, CJ Abrams lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Wood. Daylen Lile followed with an RBI double to left that drove in García, making it 2-0.

Washington added three more in the fourth. Keibert Ruiz singled, Wood walked and García deposited a 1-0 pitch over the right-center field wall for his 20th home run of the season. The blast gave the Nationals a 5-0 lead and chased Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti.

Arrighetti, the losing pitcher now 7-5, lasted only 3 1/3 innings. He allowed five earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three. The right-hander had won three of his previous four decisions but could not escape the fourth inning Wednesday.

Houston got on the board in the top of the fifth. Yainer Diaz led off with a double to left, and Brice Matthews singled to center to drive in Diaz, cutting the deficit to 5-1. But Griffin promptly struck out Zach Dezenzo, got Nick Allen to pop out and retired Jose Altuve on a flyout to end the threat.

Washington answered immediately in the bottom half. Abrams led off with a solo home run to right center, his 20th, pushing the lead to 6-1. Lile singled, Dylan Crews singled and Jorbit Vivas walked to load the bases. José Tena grounded out to first, scoring Lile, and Ruiz followed with a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Crews, putting the Nationals in front 8-1.

The game’s pivotal sequence was the fourth inning, when García’s home run turned a two-run game into a five-run margin. The Nationals had already seized momentum with their two-run third, but the three-run blast effectively put the game out of reach. Washington’s ability to extend rallies with walks and timely hits proved decisive. The Nationals drew five walks in the game, and four of them came in the fourth and fifth innings when they scored six runs combined.

Houston scratched across another run in the eighth. Dezenzo singled and Allen reached on a throwing error by Abrams that allowed Dezenzo to score. But the Astros could not mount a further rally. Justin Lawrence worked a scoreless eighth for Washington, and Orlando Ribalta finished with a scoreless ninth.

Relievers on both sides pitched effectively after the early damage. Alimber Santa worked two scoreless innings for Houston, allowing one hit. Nate Pearson threw a perfect sixth with a strikeout. Cristian Javier retired the only batter he faced in the seventh. For Washington, Lawrence pitched a hitless eighth, and Ribalta allowed two hits but no runs in the ninth.

García finished 3-for-4 with the home run and three RBIs. Lile went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a double. Abrams added the home run and two RBIs. For Houston, Matthews had two hits including an RBI, and Diaz doubled and scored. Christian Walker doubled in the ninth but was stranded.

The game was the rubber match of a three-game interleague series. Houston won 6-3 on Tuesday, and Washington won 12-11 in 11 innings on Monday in a wild back-and-forth affair. The Nationals improved to 48-46, moving two games over .500 for the first time since June 9. The Astros fell to 46-49, dropping three games below .500 for the first time this season.

Houston’s offense managed eight hits but went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left six on base. The Astros struck out 12 times, including six against Griffin. Altuve struck out twice in the leadoff spot, and Yordan Alvarez struck out twice as well. Washington’s defense turned a double play in the sixth to erase a Paredes single.

The Nationals are set to host the New York Yankees for a three-game series beginning Friday. Houston travels to Texas to face the Rangers in a three-game set starting Friday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington Nationals 6, Houston Astros 5. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Houston with a 50.90 percent probability to win. Washington had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 10 went under the over-under line of 8.5.