Washington Nationals rookie left-hander Andrew Alvarez faced the Houston Astros lineup three times on Tuesday at Nationals Park, producing a mixed performance in a 6-3 loss. Alvarez pitched 5 2/3 innings, his longest outing to date in the major leagues, allowing just four hits and completing three innings without allowing a baserunner. However, he also surrendered a career-high five runs and matched his personal record with five walks.

Nationals Manager Blake Butera credited the loss largely to the walks issued by Alvarez. “Four hits aren’t going to beat us,” Butera said. “When we’re walking five, and then you add the four hits, that’s when we are going to run into trouble.” He added that the team did not deserve to win with that level of control problems.

Alvarez started strong, quickly retiring Houston’s top hitters in the first inning. The Nationals struck first when James Wood led off the game with his 25th home run. But Alvarez’s struggles began in the second inning, when he hit Christian Walker with a pitch, walked Cam Smith, and allowed an infield single before a sacrifice fly tied the game for Houston.

The Nationals regained the lead in the third inning thanks to a walk from Wood and a sacrifice fly by CJ Abrams. However, the Astros took control from that point. In the fourth inning, a routine ground ball to shortstop could have been an out but was mishandled by Nasim Nuñez, allowing the Astros to load the bases. Houston capitalized with two runs from a single by Nick Allen and an RBI sacrifice fly by Christian Vázquez. The Astros added another run in the sixth after Alvarez issued two more walks, with Vázquez delivering a two-out RBI single.

Butera remarked that Alvarez appeared tentative on the mound, a pattern he has observed throughout the season with his pitching staff. He stressed the importance of attacking hitters and limiting walks. Alvarez acknowledged the need to improve his in-between-batter adjustments and prevent one walk from snowballing into multiple runs.

In the sixth inning, Butera opted to bring in left-handed reliever Matt Krook, who Washington recently claimed off waivers from the Oakland Athletics, instead of extending Alvarez or continuing with another reliever, Lawrence. Krook struck out Yordan Alvarez but also allowed a single and hit a batter. The bullpen continued to struggle, as catcher José Tena hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth. The Nationals then loaded the bases with two outs before pinch-hitter Dylan Crews struck out, continuing Washington’s slide to 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

Butera said the team is reassessing how relievers are deployed, particularly regarding multi-inning appearances. He took responsibility for a decision on Monday to leave reliever Cole Henry in for a second inning, which resulted in four runs allowed. Going forward, the Nationals plan to prepare relievers in Triple-A Rochester to handle multiple innings, recognizing that many of their bullpen call-ups are intended primarily to cover innings rather than serve as established contributors.

With these adjustments in mind, the Nationals hope to better manage their pitching staff’s endurance and efficiency as they continue through the season.