Stephen Strasburg outpitched fellow ace Justin Verlander, overcoming a shaky start to help the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros 12-3 for a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series.

Kurt Suzuki hit a tiebreaking homer in what became a messy six-run seventh, and the Nationals headed back home needing two wins in three potential games in Washington to claim their first championship.

Adam Eaton paraded around the bases pointing to the Houston crowd after a late home run as the Nationals won their eighth in a row. They’ve won 18 of 20 overall dating back to the regular season, with the last two over AL Cy Young Award favorites Gerrit Cole and Verlander.

Anthony Rendon hit a two-run double in the first inning.

Strasburg allowed a two-run homer to Alex Bregman in the first before throwing five shutout innings to improve to 4-0 this postseason. He allowed seven hits and struck out seven.

Verlander fell to 0-5 in six World Series starts. He gave up seven hits and four runs, and was lifted after walking a batter following Suzuki’s home run. He fanned six to become the career leader in postseason strikeouts with 202 — another impressive statistic on a stellar resume that’s still missing that elusive World Series win.

Only three of the previous 25 teams to lose the first two games at home under the 2-3-2 format have come back to win the Series. No one has done it since the 1996 New York Yankees.

Game 3 is Friday night when Aníbal Sánchez opposes Houston’s Zack Greinke in the first World Series game in the nation’s capital since 1933.