Four home runs, sharp pitching power Astros over Nationals

Justin Verlander threw five shutout innings and the Houston Astros homered in three consecutive innings to bash the host Washington Nationals 8-0 on Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game series.

Martin Maldonado, Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick and Jose Altuve all hit home runs for Houston.

It was a strong bounce-back outing for the Astros, who a night earlier had an 11-game winning streak snapped with a 13-6