Washington’s young core gets a chance to compete against one of baseball’s most complete and experienced rosters.
Washington is coming off back-to-back series wins and is looking for another against a stellar Houston Astros squad. Trade rumors are swirling around the organization, including prized All-Star pitcher MacKenzie Gore. With almost no shot at a playoff run in 2025, veterans will be sold, and the rebuild will continue. This is one of the most important series of the season for Michael Soroka and Josh Bell, veterans who will be trying to contribute to a playoff team.
The Houston Astros are one of the top teams in the American League, currently leading the American League West. With a stellar lineup paired with two of the best pitchers in baseball (Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown), Houston is pushing for the chance to represent the American League in the World Series.
Let’s take a closer look at just how good the Houston Astros are.
TEAM STATS
OFFENSE
Houston made some huge moves during the off-season, which included trading away long-time Astro Kyle Tucker for Isaac Paredes and Cubs’ top prospect Cam Smith. They signed Christian Walker to a long-term deal after spending most of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jeremy Pena has taken a huge leap this season, posting career-highs across the board. As a team, they are batting .257 (2nd), scoring 456 runs (17th), hitting 116 home runs (14th), boasting an on-base percentage of .322 (10th), and a slugging percentage of .404 (13th).
PITCHING
Hunter Brown has been one of the most improved players in baseball this season, posting a 2.54 ERA and already a career high in WAR at 3.9. Brown and Valdez have been incredible for Houston and will be a scary duo heading into the playoffs. However, injuries to the rest of the rotation have caused questions to arise with the trade deadline looming. Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu have been some of the best bullpen arms in baseball and should continue to dominate this season. As a team, they have a 3.73 ERA (9th), allowed 124 home runs (21st), 1.19 WHIP (3rd), and teams are batting .230 against them (4th).
GAME ONE – Monday, 8:10 EDT
WAS: RHP Brad Lord (2-5) – 36 G (7 GS), 3.39 ERA, 57 SO, 1.26 WHIP, 117 ERA+
HOU: LHP Framber Valdez (11-4) – 20 G, 2.67 ERA, 129 SO, 1.13 WHIP, 152 ERA+
Rookie Brad Lord has been primarily used out of the bullpen but was experimented with early on as a starter. After performing well out of the bullpen and with injuries to the starting rotation, Lord has been inserted back into the starting rotation. He performed well in his last start, throwing four innings and allowing six hits and one earned run.
Framber has continued to demonstrate why he is one of the best left-handed pitchers of the 2020s. Valdez is having one of the best seasons of his career, posting his lowest ERA since his rookie season, and is on track to produce more WAR than in any other year of his career. In his last start, he continued his domination, throwing seven innings of one-run baseball in another Houston win.
GAME TWO – Tuesday, 8:10 EDT
WAS: RHP Michael Soroka (3-8) – 15 G, 4.85 ERA, 83 SO, 1.13 WHIP, 82 ERA+
HOU: TBD
Soroka has become one of the biggest trade pieces for Washington and could provide quality innings for a team desperate for innings to be filled. In his last three starts, he has allowed less than two runs twice and is improving his trade value. His last start was stellar, throwing 5.2 innings and allowing just two hits and one run. With no run support, Washington was shut out by the Cincinnati Reds 5-0.
GAME THREE – Wednesday, 2:10 EDT
WAS: LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-10) – 21 G, 3.52 ERA, 144 SO, 1.28 WHIP, 113 ERA+
HOU: TBD
Since throwing in the All-Star game, Gore has struggled to continue the same level of performance we were seeing in the first half. In two starts since the break, Gore has allowed nine total runs and has walked nine batters while only striking out six. With trade rumors swirling about him and his future with the team, this could be one of the most important starts at this point in his career. In his last start, he only allowed one run on one hit but walked six batters in a loss to the Minnesota Twins.
With the trade deadline looming, it is a waiting game for the Nationals and the fans. With rumors swirling, it feels like nobody is safe in Washington. However, with prospect returns inevitable, the rebuild should continue smoothly as Washington preps to compete next season. Both of these teams are completely different teams, and are on two different spectrums of the trade deadline, which makes this series even more important.