Texas-sized pitchers' duel (Nats win 5-4 in 11th)

HOUSTON - As one might expect, two of the best pitchers in all of baseball are locked in a pitchers' duel through three innings.

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg has not allowed a hit through three innings. He has struck out four Astros.

But Carlos Beltrán used up 12 Strasburg pitches when he grounded out to shortstop to begin the bottom of the third. Brian McCann was then walked. Strasburg bounced back to strike out Derek Fisher and get George Springer to pop up to first base. Houston still does not have a base hit.

Left-hander Dallas Keuchel surrendered a double to Houston native Anthony Rendon in the second, but no runs through three innings. Keuchel has three strikeouts.

After three frames, the Nationals and Astros are scoreless.

Update: The Nats finally broke through in the fifth. Keuchel walked Rendon and Matt Wieters. With one out, Pedro Severino hit a dribbler to the right of Keuchel and the subsequent throw from the pitcher was mishandled by first baseman Yuri Gurriel. The error allowed Rendon to score and Wieters ended up at third.

Alejandro De Aza's grounder to Jose Altuve nabbed Severino at second base, but Wieters came in to score for a 2-0 lead

Mid-fifth in Houston, the Nats lead the Astros 2-0.

Update II: The Nats added to their advantage in seventh. Wieters lofted single over shortstop with one out. Michael A. Taylor doubled to gap and Wieters scored all the way from first for a 3-0 lead

Since May 21, Strasburg has 108 strikeouts and only 23 walks, including tonight's 7-to-1 ratio. He finished six innings, allowing no runs on three hits on 90 pitches, 60 for strikes. Oliver Pérez is on to pitch the seventh.

Update III: Dusty Baker goes to Sean Doolittle in a rare eighth inning appearance, facing a switch-hitter and then two lefties. It does not begin well. Carlos Beltran doubles. Brian McCann's RBI singles scored Beltran. Pinch-hitter Jake Marisnick launches a long fly ball just to the right of the Crawford Boxes allowing Howie Kendrick enough room to make the catch for the out. On the next pitch, George Springer grounds into an inning ending 6-4-3 double play.

After eight innings, the Nats lead the Astros, 3-1.

Update IV: Brandon Kintzler began the ninth. Bregman singled to left. Kintzler made a jumping catch of a bouncing ground ball up the middle from J.D. Davis and threw him out at first base. Josh Reddick singled up the middle to score Bregman. The Nats' lead was trimmed to 3-2.

Gurriel followed with a double over Kendrick's glove in left field to score Reddick, tying the game at 3-3.

Gonzalez struck out, Beltrán walked and Brian McCann's wicked chopper up first base line was stabbed out of the air by Ryan Zimmerman to end the inning.

Heading to extra innings, the Nats and Astros are tied at 3-3.

Update V: In the 11th facing former Nats reliever Tyler Clippard, Wilmer Difo reached on a bunt single, then went to second on a Murphy groundout. Zimmerman - sent back to the plate to hit after home plate umpire Chad Whitson's ruling that he had been hit in the hand by a pitch was reveresed on replay - struck out but the wild pitch escaped catcher Brian McCann. Zimmerman was safe at first and Difo reached third.

Rendon's sacrifice fly to left field scored Difo. Wieters' single to right-center scored Zimmerman from first base. Wieters went to second on the throw. Taylor grounded out to end the inning.

The Nats led 5-3 heading to the bottom of the 11th.

J.D. Davis homered off of Sammy Solís to begin the bottom of the 11th, cutting the Nats' lead cut to 5-4. Reddick and Gurriel flew out, and Gonzalez grounded out to Solís to end the game.

Final score: Nats 5, Astros 4.