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Heading into the final day of their series with the Astros, the Nationals will have to count on Stephen Strasburg to help them win two out of three against the worst team in baseball. They'll also be looking for him to help them reclaim some dignity.
Their 9-3 loss to the Astros on Saturday night, during which Houston had 12 hits by the end of the fifth inning, was one of their uglier defeats of the year. John Lannan gave up six runs (four earned) in 2 1/3 innings, and Houston added another two runs in the fifth off Yunesky Maya. All that came while the Nationals could manage just three runs and nine hits off Wandy Rodriguez.
Michael Morse made a fielding error after misplaying a double in the third inning, and Lannan made a throwing error on a bunt before letting Carlos Corporan's suicide squeeze get past him. By the time he left the game, the Astros were up 6-0.
The Nationals dropped back to 11 games under .500, and will be looking for Strasburg to help them save some face tomorrow.
More from the clubhouse in a while.
