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Astros rip Nats to salvage series finale

Apr 20, 2012 - 4:16 AM Washington, DC (Sports Network) - Brian Bogusevic and Jason Castro each had three hits, two runs batted in and a run scored as the Houston Astros routed the Washington Nationals, 11-4, to salvage the final game of a four-game set on Thursday.

Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez also knocked in two runs apiece and Matt Downs drove in one while scoring three times for the Astros, who snapped a four-game losing streak overall.

Bud Norris (1-0) got the win by allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings. He also knocked in two and scored a run.

Edwin Jackson (1-1) suffered the loss, giving up five runs on seven hits with five strikeouts over five innings. Ryan Zimmerman hit his first home run of the year, a three-run shot, as the Nationals lost for just the fourth time this season.

Three first-inning triples helped the Astros spot Norris a five-run lead before he took the mound.

Altuve hit his second of the year over the head of Nats right fielder Jayson Werth with one down and came home on Martinez's infield single. After Carlos Lee got a base hit, Bogusevic bounced one off the scoreboard in right to reach third and score two. Downs then tied Houston's record for most triples in a game with one in the gap to left that plated Bogusevic. Finally, Downs trotted home on Castro's single.

"I couldn't make pitches to get out of it," Jackson said. "I just left a few balls up, in position to put people away and I didn't."

The string of six consecutive hits was finally snapped when Jackson got Marwin Gonzalez and Norris on a fly out and pop out, respectively, to end the inning.

Wilson Ramos got Washington on the board with an RBI hit in the second, and Zimmerman's three-run blast into the bullpen in left pulled the Nats within 5-4 an inning later. Steve Lombardozzi, who hit a leadoff single, and Danny Espinosa, who followed with a double, scored on the homer.

Despite having thrown 93 pitches, and coming to bat with the bases loaded and less than two outs, Astros manager Brad Mills left Norris in the game in the sixth.

The starter came through, lining a 1-0 fastball into left center to plate Downs and Castro. He scored on a two-run double by Altuve two batters later and Martinez then posted another RBI on a groundout to give the Astros their 10th run.

"It felt nice," Norris said, laughing. "It fell in there and scored two, another big inning for us, and that's always nice."

Castro's single in the seventh, plating Downs, provided Houston with its final margin of victory.

Game Notes

Tom Gorzelanny gave up six runs on eight hits in two relief innings for Washington...Jackson's last regular-season loss came on August 20, 2011...Astros closer Brett Myers pitched a perfect ninth in a non-save situation...The Nationals were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.