WASHINGTON — The Nationals will not be sweeping the Astros.
They cobbled together strings of hits almost all night, but never got the big one they needed, falling 4-1 to Houston in Game 3 on Friday night.
It was a frustrating night for Nats fans, who never really got a chance to unleash all the energy they had in the buildup to the first World Series game in D.C. in 86 years.
Washington went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Revisit our live coverage below:
End of the ninth
That's it. 4-1 Astros, and it's a 2-1 series.
Middle of the ninth
Wander Suero works a clean inning. For all of the concerns about the Nationals bullpen, of all games it's this one that Fernando Rodney, Joe Ross and Wander Suero come in and shut things down.
Three more outs for the home team.
End of the eighth
A single for Howie Kendrick, but the Nats can't make anything more of it.
One more chance.
Middle of the eighth
We're churning through innings now, with Joe Ross working a mostly clean second inning, allowing a single to George Springer but working around it comfortably.
In less anxiety-ridden news:
End of the seventh
Nats go quietly against Will Harris in the seventh, as the Astros reliever matches Joe Ross' 1-2-3 inning.
Middle of the seventh
Joe Ross comes in and works a (very welcome) swift 1-2-3 inning.
Nine outs left for the Nats to get back in this one.
End of the sixth
Another couple baserunners for Washington, but no big hit to cash in on them. Trea Turner struck out with two on, appearing to hurt himself on one swing before he shook it off and finished the at-bat.
Then Adam Eaton softly grounded out to first to end the inning.
Middle of the sixth
Robinson Chirinos takes Anibal Sanchez deep for a solo shot, 4-1 Astros.
A walk ends Sanchez's night. Safe to say he didn't have his best stuff, allowing four runs on 10 hits, but he battled out of some tough spots and, all things considered, it could be worse.
He was replaced by 42-year-old Fernando Rodney, who very entertainingly came in on a bullpen cart and, despite making it a bit scary, got out of the inning without any further damage.
GALLERY: Highlights from Game 3 of the World Series
End of the fifth
Asdrubal Cabrera knocked a two-out double to bring runners to second and third with two outs, chasing Zack Greinke from the game.
Ryan Zimmerman fought new pitcher Josh James to a 3-2 count, but James finally got the better of him with a strikeout.
Still 3-1 Astros.
Middle of the fifth
Jose Altuve hits another double to left, Michael Brantley brings him in, and its a two-run game again, 3-1 Astros.
But with two men on and two outs, Sanchez gets out of another tricky spot without further damage.
End of the fourth
Victor Robles smoked a triple down the left field line and brought in Ryan Zimmerman for the Nats' first run. Washington on the board, down 2-1.
Robles is doing alright tonight:
Middle of the fourth
First easy inning of the night for Anibal Sanchez, who runs down Houston 1-2-3 in the fourth.
Still 2-0 Astros.
End of the third
The Nationals loaded the bases thanks to a single and consecutive walks, but Zack Greinke got Asdrubal Cabrera swinging to end the inning.
The Nats are now 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, which invites a look back at this pregame factoid:
Middle of the third
Juan Soto misplayed Jose Altuve's hit to left, and the Houston second baseman stretched a double into a triple, then a tricky hop on a grounder back to Anibal Sanchez gave Michael Brantley a single and brought in the run.
Sanchez worked out of the inning from there, though. Bend not break for the Nats so far.
Astros lead 2-0.
End of the second
Nats started the inning promisingly, with back to back singles by Asdrubal Cabrera and Ryan Zimmerman, but a strikeout and a double play followed.
If you missed the first pitch by Chad Cordero, who recorded the first Nationals save in 2005, the team helpfully put it on Twitter:
Middle of the second
The Astros are on the board. A double by Carlos Correa was followed by a bloop single by Josh Reddick, and Juan Soto's throw cleared home plate by quite a bit.
Houston moved runners to second and third, but with two outs and a full count against George Springer, Anibal Sanchez got a groundout to escape the jam.
Astros lead 1-0.
End of the first
Trea Turner almost led off the first home team World Series at-bat in D.C. in 86 years in unbelievable fashion - putting a great swing on a ball and lifting it deep to left field.
The heart-stopping moment ended with a flyout at the warning track, however.
Anthony Rendon later doubled, but Astros starter Zack Greinke escaped the inning unscathed.
MLB's Cut4 account, meanwhile, is having a little fun with how long it's been since the last D.C. World Series game. (if you're too young to remember "Titanic," feel free to ignore this tweet.)
Middle of the first
George Springer started things off with a single for Houston, then Anibal Sanchez coolly got flyouts from Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley before striking out Alex Bregman.
The inning was highlighted by Victor Robles making a great catch in deep center to rob Altuve of what might have been a rally-starting double.
Pregame
Did we mention it was Juan Soto's 21st birthday? David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez gave him a cake!
RELATED: It's Juan Soto's 21st birthday today. To celebrate, we found 21 of the best Nationals dugout dances
They took a selfie!
They talked about hitting!
It was fantastic. Happy birthday, the Chosen Juan. Enjoy a drink, but after the game please!
Elsewhere, fans are packing around Nationals Park - kids are baby sharking, Bill Nye is in the dugout (no word if he's done a #DugoutDance), and fans are signing Juan Soto's birthday card (did you hear it was his birthday?).
RELATED: 'Termina la pelea' | This Dominican restaurant is fueling the Nationals to 'finish the fight'
Here's what else you need to know before Game 3:
- Don't drive! Seriously, don't try it. Parking will be scarce, traffic will be a nightmare, and D.C. public works crews are already aggressively ticketing and towing cars from a long list of streets near the stadium.
- Chad Cordero is throwing the first pitch. Cordero was the Nats closer primarily from 2005-07, and was an All-Star in 2005. He also played for the Expos in Montreal, and will be tossing out the first pitch to former Nationals/Expos catcher Brian Schneider.
- It's Juan Soto's 21st birthday today. Not to overdo it, but we found 21 of the best Nationals dugout dances in honor of Soto turning 21.