Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals Prediction & Match Preview - May 13th

The Houston Astros travel to the Nation's Capital for interleague play against a familiar foe, their 2019 World Series nemesis, the Washington Nationals. This will be the first series between the two teams in the regular season since the Fall Classic of 2019 and the first game of a four-game series.

The Astros are currently on a seven-game win-streak. After stumbling out of the gate, they seem to have figured out their problem and have mostly relied on their pitching crew to propel them to victories. The Nationals, on the other hand, have no playoff expectations this season and are just looking to rebuild.

Match Details

Fixture: Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals.

Date & Time: Friday, May 13, 7:05 p.m. EDT.

Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, DC.

Houston Astros Preview

The Houston Astros are flying at the moment. They've won seven straight games and are looking poised to grab the top spot in the American League West from the Los Angeles Angels. They struggled during the initial stages of the season but are looking more and more like playoff contenders.

The Astros pitching staff have been brilliant this season, having only issued 84 earned runs, third-best in all of the majors for an ERA of 2.87. They've also been one of the most unhittable teams in baseball, only giving up 201 so far, the second-best record in the league.

Key Player - Yordan Alvarez

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez

The 2021 ALCS MVP Yordan Alvarez is carrying the load for the Houston offense this season. He has a slash line of .247/.369/.553/.922 with eight homers, which is tied for second-best in the league, as well as 16 RBIs on 21 base hits.

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"Yordan Alvarez is currently on a 7.4 WAR pace this season. That would give him the highest WAR by a DH in MLB history." - @ MLB Metrics

Alvarez could have a field day in DC as the Nationals have one of the worst pitching crews in all of baseball with 28 homers surrendered and a glaring 4.85 ERA.

Houston Astros Projected Lineup

Starting Pitcher: Framber Valdez.

Jose Altuve, 2B
Michael Brantley, LF
Alex Bregman, 3B
Yordan Alvarez, DH
Yuli Gurriel, 1B
Kyle Tucker, RF
Chas McCormick, CF
Jeremy Pena, SS
Martin Maldonado, C

Washington Nationals Preview

The Washington Nationals currently sport a 10-20 record through the first 30 games of the season. They have the worst home record in all of the majors at 3-11.

The Nationals will need to step up their game against a primed and confident Houston Astros team that has all the momentum in the world. If they fail to do so, they will fall to yet another loss.

As previously mentioned, the Nats have one of the worst pitching staff in baseball this season. Their batting order, however, is a whole different story as they are fourth in team batting average with .254. They have a comparatively low slugging and OPS stats though, and have struggled to find a way to out-gun their opponents.

It will be interesting to see how they can handle one of the best pitching rotations in the majors in the form of the Astros.

Key Player - Josh Bell

Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell

Former All-Star Josh Bell has been instrumental in the Nationals' batting order this season. He has a slash line of .349/.444/.528/.972 with four homers, seven doubles, and 21 RBIs on 37 base hits. Bell has been one of the more consistent bats in the order for the Nats.

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"Josh Bell is slashing .343/.442/.529. 178 wRC+. If the Nationals only get one All-Star this season, it could end up being Bell over Soto." - @ Claiborne Snowden

He ranks third among all major league batters with his current .349 average. Despite this, it will still be a challenge for him to hit dingers against a superb Astros rotation.

Washington Nationals Projected Lineup

Starting Pitcher: Josiah Gray.

Cesar Hernandez, 2B
Juan Soto, RF
Nelson Cruz, DH
Josh Bell, 1B
Yadiel Hernandez, LF
Maikel Franco, 3B
Keibert Ruiz, C
Victor Robles, CF
Alcides Escobar, SS