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HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros were trying to stay upbeat after their latest extra-inning loss dropped them to 0-11 in such games this season.

The young team hopes the experience of playing in games like this will help them in the future.

Danny Espinosa hit a two-run homer early, and his RBI single in the 12th inning lifted the Washington Nationals to a 3-2 win over the Astros on Tuesday night.

"We have to just build off these games," Houston's Brett Wallace said. "We're not winning them, but there is a lot to learn. ... We just have keeping building off of that, and eventually those balls will fall."

Michael Morse was 0 for 4 when he doubled to start the 12th inning and extend his career-high hitting streak to 16 games. He was replaced by pinch-runner Cesar Izturis, who was making his first appearance for Washington after being claimed off waivers from Milwaukee on Monday.

Roger Bernadina advanced Izturis to third with a sacrifice bunt. Espinosa's sharp grounder off Mickey Storey (0-1) skipped past the pitcher for a hit that brought Izturis home and gave the Nationals their second straight extra-inning win over Houston.

Washington beat the Astros 5-4 in 11 innings on Monday.

For the Astros, owners of baseball's worst record, it was another difficult game in a season full of them.

"I stayed on the field with the guys to tell them how much I appreciate all that they have gone through the last couple of nights," Houston manager Brad Mills said. "It's been tough."

Houston's Steve Pearce singled off Tyler Clippard in the 12th before Carlos Corporan drew a two-out walk. Bernadina, the center fielder, crashed into the wall while making a diving catch on a ball hit by Wallace to secure the win.

"I put the ball in the gap, and I thought I might split it, but he made a great play," Wallace said. "He is a good center fielder, and that is what they do. It's unfortunate, but we just have to keep going."

Washington pinch-hitter Chad Tracy doubled with two outs in the 10th for the only hit by either team in the first two extra innings.

Drew Storen (1-0) retired the last two hitters in the 11th for the win, and Clippard earned his 23rd save.

Pearce drew a two-out walk in the ninth before Ryan Mattheus intentionally walked pinch-hitter Scott Moore, but pinch-hitter Brian Bogusevic grounded out to send the game to the 10th.

Ben Francisco gave Houston an early lead with a two-run homer off Ross Detwiler to the Crawford Boxes in left field in the first inning. The lead was short-lived as Espinosa tied it at 2-all with his two-run shot to right field off Jordan Lyles in the second.

Both pitchers quickly got back on track.

Detwiler set down the next 10 Astros he faced, with Houston's next hit not coming until back-to-back singles by Pearce and Matt Downs with two outs in the fourth inning.

Detwiler retired Brandon Barnes, who was making his major league debut on Tuesday, and allowed just one baserunner — a walk in the sixth — after that. He was replaced by Michael Gonzalez for the eighth inning.

Detwiler allowed three hits and two runs with two strikeouts in seven innings.

Jose Altuve got Houston's first hit since the fourth inning with a two-out single in the eighth. He stole second base, but the Astros came away empty when Michael Gonzalez retired Marwin Gonzalez.

Lyles was equally effective, retiring the next nine batters he faced after the homer. Jesus Flores broke the streak with a double with two outs in the fifth.

Lyles walked a batter in the sixth and seventh innings, but didn't give up another hit until he was chased by a single by pinch-hitter Jayson Werth to start the eighth.

Wesley Wright replaced Lyles and struck out two, before Fernando Rodriguez threw 1 1-3 perfect innings.

Lyles yielded three hits and two runs with six strikeouts in seven-plus innings.

Washington manager Davey Johnson believes the Astros have reason to be optimistic after seeing Lyles pitch a night after rookie Dallas Keuchel faced his team.

"They're having a rough year, but they've got some good, young players," Johnson said. "I like those last two pitchers I've seen, so the future is probably pretty good over there. They held down a pretty good hitting club. They're wearing me out."

NOTES: Werth, who left Monday night's game with sore legs, was held out of the lineup on Tuesday, but he pinch-hit in the eighth inning. Werth was reinstated last Thursday after missing almost three months with a broken left wrist. ... Houston placed CF Jordan Schafer on the 15-day disabled list with an injured left shoulder on Tuesday. The Astros aren't sure how long the injury will keep him out. "I really have no timetable," Schafer said. "Whenever I feel healthy, whenever I get better, then I'll get back in there." Houston purchased the contract of Barnes to take Schafer's spot on the roster.

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston starter Armando Galarraga wasn't happy that he gave up a home run to opposing pitcher Gio Gonzalez on Wednesday night.

He was even less pleased about walking six batters in just five-plus innings.

Gonzalez pitched a nine-inning complete game and hit a home run — both career firsts — to lead the Washington Nationals to a 4-3 victory over the Astros.

Galarraga (0-2) yielded six hits and three runs to remain winless in three starts this season since being promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

"I need to make an adjustment," he said. "I need to make a big adjustment. I threw the ball bad. I need to be honest with myself. Six walks after seven walks. There's not an excuse for that. I have to make an adjustment and work on my mechanics."

Nationals manager Davey Johnson was hoping Gonzalez (14-6) could go deep into this game after his bullpen had been taxed with games of 11 and 12 innings to start this series.

He got just what he wanted from Gonzalez, whose other complete game was an eight-inning outing when he was with Oakland in a 4-1 loss at the White Sox on Aug. 1, 2010.

Things got dicey in the ninth when he allowed three hits and a run and had the tying run on third before striking out Matt Downs to end the game.

"We got the opportunity, but he came through even with his pitch count getting high," Houston manager Brad Mills said of Gonzalez, who threw 117 pitches.

He allowed nine hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Gonzalez broke a 1-1 tie with his two-run, two-out, first-pitch homer into the Crawford Boxes in left field in the second inning. Galarraga plunked Kurt Suzuki to set up the shot.

"Any time you hit a guy with two outs and then the pitcher hits a home run that winds up beating you, that's a tough pill to swallow," Mills said.

Houston cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth inning, but Washington added an insurance run on an error in the seventh.

Brandon Barnes got his first career hit on a single with one out in the ninth. Barnes scored from second on a single by Ben Francisco with two outs to get Houston within 4-3.

Jose Altuve singled after that before Gonzalez got Downs to wrap up his big night.

Galarraga got off to a tough start, walking the first two batters he faced. Ryan Zimmerman followed with a single, but Steve Lombardozzi couldn't beat the throw and was out at home.

Washington took a 1-0 lead when Bryce Harper scored on a balk. The play first looked to be a sacrifice fly by Adam LaRoche, but replays showed that home plate umpire Angel Hernandez called the balk before Galarraga threw the pitch that La Roche hit.

Altuve hit a leadoff double for Houston and scored on a single by Justin Maxwell to tie it at 1-all.

With Washington up 3-2 after Gonzalez's homer, J.D. Martinez singled with one out in the fourth, took second on a balk and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Corporan to get Houston within 3-2.

The Nationals were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

A big opportunity came in the sixth when Jayson Werth walked to start the inning before Danny Espinosa singled. Suzuki drew a walk to load the bases and chase Galarraga, who was replaced by Xavier Cedeno. Gonzalez grounded into a forceout. Cedeno then retired Lombardozzi and struck out Harper.

Harper was unhappy with a couple of the calls during the at-bat. First he headed toward first base on a 3-1 count that was called a strike and later yelled: "No way" when he struck out looking.

Zimmerman doubled in the seventh and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored and Werth reached on an error by third baseman Downs when he bounced the throw to first base.

NOTES: Nationals LF Michael Morse singled in the fourth inning to extend his career-long hitting streak to 17 games. ... Johnson said before the game that Werth, who was held out of Tuesday's lineup with soreness in his legs, was better on Wednesday, but "not good enough to play center field." ... These teams wrap up the four-game series on Thursday when Washington right-hander Jordan Zimmermann opposes Lucas Harrell.

CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Volstad is not thinking about his winless skid. He's just trying to make better pitches.

Volstad gave up a three-run homer to Brett Wallace and remained winless in 23 starts, the Chicago Cubs' 10-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

"The past is in the past, so the only thing I'm concerned with is my next game," Volstad said.

Fernando Martinez also hit a three-run homer, backing Lucas Harrell's eight strong innings for Houston.

Harrell (10-8) scattered six hits and struck out six, helping the Astros win for only the third time in their last 28 road games. Harrell has allowed two runs or fewer in all seven of his starts since the All-Star break.

"Harrell came right after us," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "Looked like he threw probably 90 percent fastballs. We didn't capitalize on his aggressiveness at all."

Volstad (0-9) lasted just five innings, allowing eight hits and four runs in his latest bid for his first big league win since July 10, 2011. He is approaching the major league record of 28 held by Cliff Curtis, Matt Keough and Jo-Jo Reyes.

"There was nothing real crisp going on," Sveum said. "The command, getting the ball up. The off-speed stuff, that's what was getting hit hard."

In Volstad's first two outings since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Aug. 1, he allowed just five runs in 13 innings. He wasn't as sharp on Tuesday, but still sees some positives.

"I had a really good changeup," Volstad said. "Sinker had some good action on that. Fastball was down for the most part. Probably one or two that were elevated a little bit. I would say as far as consistency, that's getting better."

Volstad fell to 0-14 with a 5.51 ERA during his winless skid, which has been dotted with quality outings here and there.

Scott Moore added a solo shot and double twice for a career-high three extra-base hits. Jose Altuve doubled twice and had three of Houston's 13 hits.

Darwin Barney drove in the Cub's run with a fielder's choice in the seventh.

The Cubs have lost 12 of 14 and matched their season high by falling 25 games under .500, their worst record since finishing the 2006 season 30 games below break-even.

Harrell retired the first eight Cubs before Volstad singled with two outs in the third, his first hit of the season. Harrell induced two double plays and nearly got a third when Barney just beat Tyler Greene's relay in the seventh, allowing Starlin Castro to score.

Harrell got plenty of support in Houston's biggest offensive outburst since scoring 11 runs in Chicago on June 10 against the White Sox. Houston had scored just 11 runs combined in its last six losses on the road.

"Isn't that nice?" Astros manager Brad Mills said. "Besides swinging the bat, we made some defensive plays. Lucas comes out and gives us just an absolutely quality start, and gives us that opportunity."

Wallace's homer to dead center in third gave Harrell an early cushion.

Houston's five-run sixth was aided by Castro's error on a likely double-play ball, his 18th miscue of the season. He tied Pittsburgh third baseman Pedro Alvarez for the most errors in the majors.

Moore doubled in Altuve in the first to open the scoring and kick off his best night as a big leaguer. Moore, who broke into the majors with the Cubs in 2006, doubled and scored in the sixth and hit a solo homer to right in the seventh.

Volstad will get another shot at breaking his funk in five days, when Sveum hopes he will see more of what he showed in his two previous starts.

"After a couple of good outings, even the outing in Triple-A, it was kind of based around one pitch," Sveum said. "I think he'll tell you his stuff wasn't what it was the last couple of outings."

NOTES: Mills said RHP Francisco Cordero (sprained ligament in toe) likely won't return until Sept. 1. ... The Cubs announced that Albert Almora, their top pick in June's draft, had been promoted from rookie league Mesa, Ariz., to Class-A Boise. Almora, 18, hit .347 with one homer, 13 RBIs and five steals in 18 games for Mesa. ... Sveum said RHP Matt Garza had not been ruled out for the season, but was still more than a week away from resuming throwing. Garza was placed on the disabled list on July 28 because of stress reaction in his right elbow.

CHICAGO (AP) — Houston Astros right-hander Bud Norris left Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs after being hit in the foot by a line drive in the fourth inning.

Following David DeJesus' second homer of the game, Josh Vitters hit a liner up the middle that deflected off Norris' left foot toward the third base bag.

Norris took two warm-up pitches before shaking his head toward the team trainer. He was replaced by Chuckie Fick. Norris was diagnosed with a left foot contusion.

He gave up six runs on eight hits over 3 1-3 innings and left trailing 6-1. He has now gone 13 consecutive starts without a win.

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros have dropped their last three games by a total of four runs. That doesn't make the mounting losses any easier to take, though.

Their latest close defeat came Tuesday night when pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez delivered a go-ahead single in the ninth inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied for a 3-2 victory.

"Eventually, it is going to turn," Astros interim manager Tony DeFrancesco said. "We have a lot of confidence in the guys in there. The effort is there. I am watching guys go hard every day. It's sort of frustrating to the manager and coaching staff not to get the 'W.'"

The Giants were down 2-1 entering the ninth. Brandon Belt singled off Wesley Wright to start inning before pinch-hitter Joaquin Arias doubled down the left-field line off Wilton Lopez (5-3) to tie it at 2.

Sanchez completed the rally with his one-out liner to center that scored Arias.

"It's definitely tough, but they are a good team," Houston's Brett Wallace said. "We played with them tonight."

Houston took the lead on a wild pitch by Matt Cain in the eighth inning. The game was tied 1-all when Jimmy Paredes, in his first game since being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City, drew a walk. Wallace singled before a sacrifice bunt by Jason Castro left runners at second and third.

Then came the wild pitch in the dirt that bounced between the legs of catcher Buster Posey and off the backstop. Posey went to get the ball and Paredes trotted home ahead of the throw and over a diving Cain to put Houston up 2-1.

Santiago Casilla (5-5) retired the last two batters in the eighth for the win and Sergio Romo threw a perfect ninth for his seventh save.

Angel Pagan put San Francisco up 1-0 when he connected on a home run to right field with two outs in the fifth. Houston evened it up when Fernando Martinez opened the bottom half with a homer to right-center.

The loss dropped DeFrancesco to 1-7 and came in front of 13,516 fans — the smallest crowd in the history of Houston's 12-year-old ballpark. DeFrancesco took over on Aug. 19 after Brad Mills became the first manager in the majors to be fired this season.

Houston starter Bud Norris was lifted in the seventh with a blister on his right middle finger. He retired the first two batters in the inning before falling behind 2-0 to Pagan.

Trainers checked out Norris and chatted with him before he was replaced by Fernando Rodriguez.

"It is kind of aggravating him a little bit, so he is having a tough time commanding his slider," DeFrancesco said. "Going into the sixth inning and the seventh, it is more painful. ... He can handle it, but when the pain starts beating on him and throbbing, then it's time to come out of the game."

Norris is mired in a career-worst 10-game losing streak and hasn't won since May 21. He allowed six hits and a run with seven strikeouts.

"I just tried to go out there and help my team stay as close as we can and try to win a game," Norris said. "We were ahead late and unfortunately it fell apart."

Cain, who pitched a perfect game against Houston on June 13, allowed six hits and two runs with three walks in 7 1-3 innings.

"I felt good," he said. "I felt like I was able to throw a lot of pitches for strikes anytime I kind of wanted to."

Cain didn't give up a hit until Wallace doubled with one out in the fourth. Pagan fielded it near the wall in center and threw to cutoff man Brandon Crawford, who caught the throw right before Gregor Blanco came dashing in from left field and crashed into him.

The collision sent both players tumbling to the ground, but neither was injured.

Cain was helped by his defense in the first when Castro hit a pop fly into foul territory. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval attempted to make the catch, but the ball bounced out of his glove and into the air. Crawford then made a diving grab before the ball hit the ground.

NOTES: Houston CF Jordan Schafer, on the disabled list with an injured left shoulder, went 0 for 3 and scored a run for Oklahoma City in the third game of his rehab assignment. ... The teams continue the series Wednesday when San Francisco left-hander Barry Zito opposes Dallas Keuchel.