NATS-STROS

escaped a two-on, two-outs jam in the fourth by striking out Carlos Correa.

After George Springer’s

one-out double put runners at second and third in the fifth, José Altuve struck out on a curve in the dirt and Michael Brantley hit a hard grounder to second.

“Stras is doing Stras things out there,” Rendon said. “It’s been amazing.”

Sean Doolittle got the final two outs as the Nationals bullpen headed into Game 7 relatively rested. He gave up a two-out double to Correa before retiring Robinson Chirinos on a popup.

Verlander dropped to 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA in seven Series starts, a blemish on his otherwise sterling career.

In the first game with lead changes since the opener, Rendon’s RBI single through a shifted infield put the Nationals ahead in the first. Verlander gave up 10 runs in the first inning during six postseason starts this year after allowing 12 during 34 regularseason outings,

Houston needed just four pitches to tie the score.

Springer lined a fastball off the left-field scoreboard, at 112 mph off the bat the hardest-hit ball of the Series. He advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Altuve’s sacrifice fly to left, easily beating Soto’s throw.

Bregman put the Astros ahead on Strasburg’s 12th pitch, driving a fastball into the Crawford Boxes over the left-field scoreboard for his fourth home run of the postseason and third of the Series. Bregman carried his bat out of the batter’s box and tried to hand it to first base coach Don Kelly, only for the bat to fall as Kelly stuck out his hand for a shake.

Eaton tied the score in the fifth when Verlander hung a slider. Soto, who homered at age 20 in the opener, followed one out later with his second long ball after turning 21. He lined a high-and-inside fastball into the right-field upper deck, a no-doubt drive Verlander didn’t bother to watch.

Soto, too, flipped the bat at his first base coach, Tom Bogar.

“I don’t think there’s a person in the building that would have assumed that all road teams were going to win,” Houston manager AJ Hinch said. “We’ve just got to make sure that last one is not the same.”