WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — After a spring training that has produced more head-scratching than confidence, the Houston Astros put together one of their more complete offensive performances of the Grapefruit League season Friday, beating the Washington Nationals 7-1 at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Mike Burrows got the ball to start and worked through four innings before giving way to a bullpen that included Kai-Wei Teng and Logan VanWey. Tyler Baum came on to work the eighth.
Building the Lead
Houston got on the board in the third inning without the benefit of a clean hit. James Nelson reached on a fielding error by Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams, and a sacrifice bunt by César Salazar moved the runners into scoring position. Jax Biggers followed with a bunt single to third, and Nelson scored when José Altuve grounded into a double play, a productive out that gave the Astros a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
The offense opened up in the sixth. Cam Smith doubled to left, and Joey Loperfido followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0. Houston kept the inning alive through a series of pinch-runners and a fielder’s choice, and Lucas Spence—one of the young players working to get on the radar this spring—lined a single to center to plate another run and push the lead to 3-0.
Washington answered briefly in the bottom of the sixth when Daylen Lile sent a solo shot to right, trimming the deficit to 3-1. But the Astros quickly put the game away in the seventh.
Key Performances
Brice Matthews continued to make a case for himself with a strong outing. The infield prospect walked to lead off the seventh, promptly stole second, then stole third, his third and fourth stolen bases of the spring.
When John Garcia came up as a pinch-hitter for Yordan Alvarez, he made the most of the opportunity, launching a two-run homer to left that stretched Houston’s lead to 5-1.
Matthews wasn’t done. In the eighth, he doubled sharply to center to score German Ramirez and Collin Price, capping his day with six total bases and pushing Houston’s final margin to 7-1.
Spence’s sixth-inning single was another notable moment. The young outfielder has quietly made the most of limited opportunities this spring, and a productive at-bat with runners moving keeps him in the conversation as Houston evaluates its depth options.
Bigger Picture
The Astros entered the game averaging just 2.22 runs per game through nine spring outings—a number that had raised legitimate questions about the offense’s readiness.
Friday’s performance won’t erase every concern, but it did offer a glimpse of what the lineup can look like when the at-bats start to string together. Pinch-hitters contributing, prospects producing in key moments, and Matthews creating chaos on the bases—it was the kind of complementary baseball Houston will want to see more of as the calendar moves closer to Opening Day.
Houston 7, Washington 1 — CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches
