WASHINGTON (Interstat) — The Washington Nationals host the Houston Astros on Monday night at Nationals Park in a matchup of teams hovering near .500. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EDT, with a forecast of 83 degrees and rain. The Nationals enter at 46-45, having dropped three of their last four games, including an 11-5 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Astros are 45-47 after taking two of three from Tampa Bay, capped by a 2-0 shutout victory Sunday. Houston right-hander Peter Lambert is a player to watch. He earned the win Sunday against the Rays, allowing three hits and no earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six. In his last five starts, Lambert has allowed two earned runs or fewer four times. He went 7 innings against Detroit on June 17, yielding one earned run on two hits with five strikeouts. His lone poor outing over that span came June 29 against Minnesota, when he allowed four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 5-4 loss. Washington infielder Luis García Jr. provides the home team’s offensive spark. He went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh. García has homered in three of his last five games and is 9-for-21 over that stretch with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He drove in five runs on June 28 at Baltimore, going 3-for-5 with two home runs. Over his last 10 games, García has multiple hits six times and has driven in at least one run in seven of those contests. Houston’s bullpen has been sharp lately. Josh Hader and Steven Okert combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings Sunday, allowing no hits and striking out three. The teams are playing the first of a three-game series. The Astros then travel to Texas, while the Nationals host the New York Yankees. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Washington victory. The Nationals are minus-1.5 run-line favorites, and the over/under is 9.5.