HOUSTON — Justin Verlander is done two batters into the seventh inning, and the Houston Astros ace won’t get his first World Series victory.

The right-hander departed Game 2 with the Astros down 3-2 to the Nationals, who were looking to take a 2-0 series lead.

Washington had built an 10-2 lead in the eighth inning. The game did nopt end until after presstime.

Astros manager AJ Hinch made the pitching change after Kurt Suzuki opened the seventh with a tiebreaking homer and Verlander then walked No. 9 hitter Victor Robles.

Verlander entered the game 0-4 with a 5.67 ERA in his first five World Series starts, with Houston and Detroit.

The Astros had threatened against Washington’s Stephen Strasburg in the sixth when Yuli Gurriel doubled with one out and Yordan Alvarez took two balls, then was intentionally walked.

Carlos Correa hit a humpback liner to second, dropping to 8 for 49 in the postseason. Kyle Tucker pinch hit for Robinson Chirinos and got ahead 2-0 before Strasburg went to his third full count of the inning and threw a curveball that Tucker took for strike three.

Strasburg allowed seven hits, striking out seven and walking one. He threw 114 pitches: 39 two-seam fastballs, 28 curveballs, 27 changeups and 20 four seamers.

Verlander allowed six hits and two walks, striking out six. He threw 98 pitches: 45 fastballs, 28 sliders, 22 curveballs and three changeups

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred discounts the drop in home runs during the postseason and expects to receive a new report from scientists on baseballs by the end of the year.

Batters finished the regular season with 6,776 home runs, shattering the previous record of 6,105 set two years ago.

The average of 2.79 homers per game has dropped to 2.29 in the postseason, with 71 long balls in 31 games entering Wednesday.