Nick Lofton goes 3-for-5, knocks in two runs

Henry was shipped back to the minors after throwing 44 pitches in relief against the Astros on Monday night. The Nationals will make a corresponding move to bring up a fresh bullpen arm prior to Tuesday’s contest.

It sounds like a potential injured list situation for Bruihl after he suffered the injury while recording the final out of the sixth inning during Monday’s contest. The 29-year-old southpaw has delivered a respectable 3.70 ERA across 41 1/3 innings this season in his Cardinals debut.

Hamilton was lifted for a pinch-runner following a two-run double in the seventh inning that put Milwaukee ahead. He’ll undergo further evaluation to determine the severity of the issue. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

Wood’s 446-foot grand slam off Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh traveled a staggering 446 feet to straightaway center field and gave Washington a commanding six-run lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. It was his 24th big fly of the year. He also walked three times and picked up his 14th stolen base of the season in this one. The 23-year-old rising star was named to his second consecutive All-Star Game over the weekend and continues to deliver first-round caliber fantasy value this season, hitting .268/.398/.541 with 81 runs scored, 24 homers, 60 RBI and 14 steals through 92 games.

Matthews made things interesting with a three-run shot against Nationals reliever Cole Henry in the eighth inning that brought Houston within a single run at the time. It was his seventh big fly of the year and first time going deep since June 13.

Abrams took Houston starter Mike Burrows deep in the third inning for a game-tying homer to match his home run total from last season. He’s now one big fly shy of his previous career-high mark of 20 round-trippers set back in 2024. The 25-year-old speedster also picked up his 15th stolen base of the season in this one. He’s been arguable the most impactful fantasy shortstop this season with 19 homers, 64 RBI and 15 thefts through 88 games.

Mead put Washington ahead with a fifth-inning tater off Houston starter Mike Burrows. The 25-year-old former top prospect has put together a certifiable breakthrough campaign in his Nationals debut with a career-high 15 homers through 75 games.

Beeter got the call to record the final out of the eighth inning, inducing a harmless ground ball from Jose Altuve. He came back out to face the heart of Houston’s lineup and spun an impressive perfect frame. He struck out Yordan Alvarez, got Isaac Paredes to ground out and coaxed a game-ending fly ball form Christian Walker. The 27-year-old appears to be the clear choice for saves in Washington heading into the All-Star break.

Mikolas gave up nine hits, including a pair of homers. He struck out three and handed out a pair of free passes. He’s unlikely to take the ball again later this week as he’s facing a five-game suspension for his on-field actions during last week’s brawl with the Red Sox that will go into effect once the appeal process concludes. It’s possible he could start this weekend against the Yankees if his five-game ban is reduced on appeal. He’s obviously not a recommended fantasy option at this point.

Burrows was staked to an early five-run lead and wound up giving it all back with a couple calamitous frames. He gave up a whopping nine hits, including a three-run homer to CJ Abrams and a solo shot to Curtis Mead. He struck out three and issued two walks. The unexpected implosion raises his full-season ERA from 5.58 to 5.99 across 94 2/3 innings. He’ll close out a two-start week with a road matchup against the Rangers on Sunday to put a bow on the first half of the season.