Houston Astros defeat Washington Nationals 4-1 in Game 3 of World Series; Nationals still lead 2-1

WASHINGTON - The Houston Astros bested the Washington Nationals 4-1 on the National's own turf in Game 3 of the World Series in Washington, D.C.

Washington had a 2-0 lead heading into Friday night's game, the first in a World Series in the nation's capital since 1933.

It was a scoreless first inning, which included a leaping, over-the-shoulder catch by the Nationals' Victor Robles of a drive to center field by the Astros' Jose Altuve.

In the dugout, Altuve threw down his elbow pad and batting helmet in frustration after Robles' snag. George Springer led off with an infield single for Houston but was stranded.

Anthony Rendon hit a two-out double to left for the Nationals before outfielder Juan Soto grounded out to end the inning.

Nationals starter Aníbal Sánchez gave up three hits in the second inning but avoided further damage when Springer grounded out to shortstop, stranding two runners.

Asdrúbal Cabrera and Ryan Zimmerman started the bottom half with singles for the Nationals, but Zack Greinke struck out Kurt Suzuki and got a double-play grounder from Robles.

Sánchez gave up two runs on six hits through three innings but mitigated the damage along the way.

Michael Brantley drove in Altuve with an infield single to give the Astros a 2-0 lead over the Nationals after three innings. Altuve doubled leading off the inning and advanced to third on Soto's error.

The Nationals loaded the bases against Greinke in the bottom half, but he struck out Cabrera on a 68-mph curveball.

Both starters have worked hard, with Greinke throwing 65 pitches through three innings.

The Nationals were able to trim the deficit to 2-1 as Zimmerman ran home with the help of a triple down the left-field line from Robles.

But as the teams went into the fifth inning, Altuve and Michael Brantley sparked the Astros again, with Brantley driving in Altuve to give the team a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom half, Josh James relieved Greinke with two outs and runners on second and third. He struck out Zimmerman on a 3-2 changeup.

Robinson Chirinos homered off the foul pole in left, bringing the Astros up 4-1.

Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the sixth inning. The Astros ended up stealing for bases with Suzuki behind the plate, and he threw wildly to second for an error. He was limited to pinch-hitting duty for three weeks in September because of an elbow injury that compromised his throwing.

Washington stranded its eighth runner in scoring position and 10th overall when Adam Eaton grounded out with runners on first and second.

At the end of the game, the Astros showed they weren't going to go quietly and could even things out between the Nationals in Game 4. Washington's eight-game winning streak, tied for the longest in a single postseason, ended with a sloppy performance.

Before the game, Soto received a sweet treat for turning 21 – a birthday cake on the field from David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. Soto starred for the Nationals in helping them take the lead over Houston.

President Donald Trump intends to come to Nationals Park on Sunday night for Game 5.

The Astros and Nationals will move on to Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday at 8:07 p.m. EST on FOX.

This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed to this report.