Altuve put the Astros ahead for good in the second inning with a two-out blast off MacKenzie Gore, his 18th homer of the year. The 35-year-old Altuve had quite a month at the plate, batting .363 with five homers and a 1.

Nationals: Mike Soroka (3-8, 4.85 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 83 strikeouts); Astros: Jason Alexander (1-1, 8.14 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 14 strikeouts) BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros take on the Washington Nationals after losing five games in a row.

Yainer Diaz and Mauricio Dubon recorded three-hit games and Christian Walker delivered a timely two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Houston Astros rode a balanced offensive attack to a 7-4 interleague victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Tuesday.