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05/02 17:16 CDT Rangers shut out Nationals 6-0. Eovaldi leaves start with groin
injury
Rangers shut out Nationals 6-0. Eovaldi leaves start with groin injury
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) --- Nathan Eovaldi pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings before
leaving with groin tightness, Ezequiel Duran's two-out double was the first of
three consecutive RBI hits in the second inning and the Texas Rangers beat the
Washington Nationals 6-0 on Thursday.
Eovaldi (2-2) limited the Nationals to two hits and two walks while throwing 92
pitches --- 13 short of his season high. He struck out eight for the fourth
time this year, his season high. He won for the first time since April 3 and
for the first time in four home starts this year.
Jacob Latz, David Robertson and Jonathan Hernndez finished off the four-hit
shutout, Texas' second this season.
The Rangers (17-15) won a second straight series, which the defending World
Series champions had not done since winning the first two series of the season.
The Nationals (15-16) failed to move above .500 for the first time since July
1, 2021. Arriving in Texas after scoring 33 runs in a four-game sweep at Miami,
the Nats scored two runs in three games.
Eovaldi said he felt the injury throwing a 94 mph fastball for strike one to
Luis Garcia Jr. with one on in the sixth. He'll get an MRI on Friday.
"Just play it safe," Eovaldi said.
"He may need some rest," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. "We'll take care of
him and do what's right."
Duran's double was his second RBI of the season, first since opening day. He'd
sat out the previous three games after going 6 for 38, dropping his batting
average from a season-high .429 to .200.
Evan Carter and Marcus Semien followed with RBI singles off rookie Mitchell
Parker (2-1), making his fourth major league start.
The Rangers added three runs in the eighth inning. Two scored on Travis
Jankowski's single. Jankowski replaced Duran at DH in the sixth inning.
Parker gave up three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings while walking two and
striking out five. He'd allowed three total runs in his previous three starts
after being recalled from Triple-A Rochester on April 15 when Josiah Gray was
placed on the injured list.
The two runs in a three-game series matched the Nats' franchise low, done three
previous times.
"If you think hitting's easy, you're really mistaken about this game,"
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "We've just got to keep going, keep
grinding."
Texas' Josh Smith extended his on-base streak to a career-best 19 games with a
second-inning walk.
Corey Seager, MVP of the Rangers' World Series victory last fall, continued to
struggle at the plate. Seager went 0 for 4 and is 3 for 41 over his past 11
games, dropping his batting average from .301 to .219.
UP NEXT
Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin (0-3, 6.82 ERA) will face Toronto
left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 2.94) on Friday to begin a five-game homestand.
Rangers right-hander Michael Lorenzen (2-1, 4.24) will pitch on Friday against
Kansas City right-hander Brady Singer (2-1, 2.62) to start a 10-game road trip,
including a scheduled doubleheader at Oakland next Wednesday.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
