ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jon Gray retired 22 of the last 23 batters he faced while limiting Washington to three singles over eight innings and the Texas Rangers won 7-1 on Tuesday night to end the Nationals’ four-game winning streak.
Josh Smith and Leody Taveras homered for the defending World Series champion Rangers (16-14), who have won back-to-back games for only the second time since April 6.
Coming off a four-game sweep of Miami on the road, the Nationals (14-15) missed a chance to get over .500 for the first time since July 1, 2021.
Gray struck out three without a walk. The right-hander threw 72 of his 98 pitches for strikes before rookie Cole Winn pitched a perfect ninth.
Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (2-3) struck out seven, walked one and allowed two runs and five hits over five innings.
CJ Abrams led off the game with an infield single to extend his on-base streak to 16 games. After he scored on a two-out single by Luis García Jr., Gray retired 12 in a row until Trey Lipscomb’s two-out single in the fifth, then set down the last 10 batters he faced.
The Rangers got even in the fourth after Nathaniel Lowe had an infield single with a slow high chopper over the mound on the 10th pitch he saw. Adolis García and Jonah Heim followed with consecutive singles to make it 1-1.
They went ahead in the fifth when Marcus Semien tripled and scored on slugger Corey Seager’s swinging dribbler just in front of the plate.
Smith’s second homer of the season came in the sixth. Lowe had an RBI single after Semien’s double in the seventh, and Taveras hit a two-run homer to straightaway center in the eighth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Manager Dave Martinez said RHP Josiah Gray (right elbow/forearm flexor strain) is progressing. He says the pitcher has increased his throwing distance to 120 feet, is working on some mechanics on the mound and doing forearm strengthening. … 1B Joey Gallo, who hit 145 homers for Texas and was a two-time All-Star from 2015-21, is on the 10-day IL with a sprained left shoulder.
Rangers: RF Adolis García stayed in the game after being hit on his right hand by a 96.7 mph fastball from Gore when checking his swing in the fifth. The slugger immediately grabbed at his right wrist, and was in the opposite on-deck circle squatting in obvious pain when an athletic trainer and manager Bruce Bochy got to him. … RHP Max Scherzer (offseason back surgery) had his second scheduled rehab start scratched because of thumb soreness.
UP NEXT
Trevor Williams (2-0, 2.70 ERA), with no decisions his last three starts, pitches for Washington in the middle game of the series Wednesday night. The Rangers go with left-hander Andrew Heaney (0-3, 6.26).
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