WASHINGTON _ It was a complete RISP role reversal, and it led to Houston climbing right back into this World Series.
The Astros, abysmal with runners in scoring position much of the postseason, and especially in the first two games of this series, continually came through when it mattered most Friday night.
That, combined with the Nationals repeatedly failing in those spots, led to a 4-1 victory in front of 43,867 fans at Nationals Park in this city's first World Series game in 86 years.
The Nationals lead the best-of-seven series two games to one.
They won the first two games in large part by going 7 for 21 with RISP the first two games. But they went 0 for 10 and stranded 12 runners Friday, including 0 for 8 with eight stranded in the first five innings against Zack Greinke.
The Astros, who came into the night 3 for 17 with RISP and 17 for 97 in October, went 4 for 10 Friday, including 4 for 8 through five innings as they took a 4-1 lead. They wound up stranding 10 runners.
Greinke, in trouble pretty much in all of his 4 2/3 innings, allowed one run, seven hits and three walks. He struck out six.
Washington righty Anibal Sanchez, meanwhile, did not come close to resembling the pitcher who took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his NLCS Game 1 start against he Cardinals. He had only one perfect inning in a 5 1/3-inning outing in which he allowed four runs and 10 hits. He walked one and struck out four.
The Astros stranded a runner at second in the first inning but improved upon their RISP numbers in the second. Carlos Correa doubled with one out. Josh Reddick followed with an RBI single to left, making it 1-0, and took second on a wild throw home by Washington left fielder Juan Soto. Robinson Chirinos then dumped a single to right, putting runners at the corners with one out. Sanchez got out of that jam, but not the ones that followed.
It was Washington's turn to strand runners in the bottom half. Asdrubal Cabrera led off with a single and Ryan Zimmerman, a National since the franchise's first season here in 2005, roped a single to left. But Greinke struck out Kurt Suzuki looking and got Victor Robles to ground into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
The Astros added on in the third. Jose Altuve led off by yanking one into the left-field corner for a double and Soto misplayed it, with his error allowing Altuve to reach third. Brantley's infield single made it 2-0.
The Nationals loaded the bases in the bottom half, but Asdrubal Cabrera struck out swinging at a 68-mph curveball to end the inning.
They did cut their deficit in half in the fourth. Zimmerman worked a one-out walk, and when Robles pulled a 0-and-1 fastball down the leftfield line, Brantley took a bad route to the ball, playing it into an RBI triple that made it 2-1. Greinke stranded Robles by striking out Sanchez and getting Trea Turner to dribble a comebacker.
The Astros got the run back in the fifth when Altuve doubled for the second time and scored on Brantley's single to right.
The Nationals' numbers grew worse in the bottom half. Adam Eaton led off with a single and Cabrera doubled with two outs. In came righty Josh James, who struck out Zimmerman, which made the Nationals 0 for 8 with RISP and eight left stranded.
Chirinos' one-out homer in the sixth off the left-field foul pole made it 4-1 and further deflated the crowd.
