Series Recap: Texas Rangers vs. Washington Nationals 4/30-5/2

The Texas Rangers wrapped up their nine-game homestand with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Here’s my Rangers vs. Nationals series recap.

Tuesday, April 30
The Rangers and Nationals faced each other in the series opener. The Rangers blew out the Nationals 7-1 on Whataburger Night. Texas improved to 16-14, while Washington fell to 14-15.

Before the game, Texas congratulated Jacob deGrom for ten years of MLB service time. But the Nationals quickly opened the scoring. Luis Garcia Jr. singled on a sharp line drive to Wyatt Langford. CJ Abrams scored for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Jonah Heim singled on a ground ball to Jesse Winker. Nathaniel Lowe scored to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Adolis Garcia went to second base. Corey Seager grounded out softly while MacKenzie Gore went to Joey Meneses. Marcus Semien scored to make it a 2-1 game with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Josh Smith homered to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend the Rangers’ lead to 3-1. Nathaniel Lowe singled on a ground ball to Luis Garcia Jr., which was deflected by CJ Abrams. Marcus Semien scored to expand the Rangers’ lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Rangers put the game out of reach for the Nationals. Evan Carter singled on a ground ball to Jacob Young. Josh Smith scored to propel the Rangers to a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Then, Leody Taveras homered to center field. Carter scored to stretch the Rangers’ lead to 7-1 in the inning.

The Rangers beat the Nationals 7-1 after nine innings. Cole Winn pitched one inning for Texas, and Joey Meneses went 0-for-4 for Washington. Rangers pitcher Jon Gray pitched eight innings and gave up three hits, one earned run, and three strikeouts. Meanwhile, Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore pitched five innings and gave up five hits, two earned runs, one walk, and seven strikeouts.

Wednesday, May 1
The Rangers and Nationals squared off in the middle of the game. The Rangers suffered a shutout in a 2-0 loss to the Nationals. Texas fell to 16-15, while Washington improved to 15-15.

Before the game, Texas recognized their Asian American and Pacific Islander employees and fans for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Texas also announced Adolis Garcia as their Rangers Player of the Month for March and April.

After a scoreless first inning, Washington got on the board first. Alex Call singled on a line drive to Evan Carter. Ildemaro Vargas scored for a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Rangers never responded to the Nationals’ early run. The Rangers lost to the Nationals 1-0 after nine innings. For Texas, Corey Seager went 0-for-4. And, for Washington, Kyle Finnegan pitched one inning and gave up three strikeouts.

Rangers pitcher Andrew Heaney pitched seven innings and allowed four hits, one earned run, and four strikeouts. Meanwhile, Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams pitched five innings and allowed five hits, four walks, and three strikeouts.

Thursday, May 2
The Rangers and Nationals competed against each other in the rubber match. The Rangers shut out the Nationals 6-0 to win the series 2-1. Texas improved to 17-15, while Washington fell to 15-16.

After a scoreless first inning, Texas got on the board. Ezequiel Duran doubled on a line drive to Jesse Winker. Jonah Heim scored for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Josh Smith went to third base. Then, Evan Carter singled on a ground ball to Luis Garcia Jr. that was deflected by Joey Meneses. Smith scored to make it a 2-0 game in the inning. Duran went to third base. And then, Marcus Semien singled on a line drive to Winker. Duran scored to extend the Rangers’ lead to 3-0 in the inning. Carter went to second base.

Jonah Heim singled on a line drive to Jacob Young. Nathaniel Lowe scored for a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Then, Travis Jankowski singled on a ground ball to Alex Call. Heim and Josh Smith scored to expand the Rangers’ lead to 6-0 in the inning.

The Rangers blanked the Nationals 6-0 after nine innings. Jonathan Hernandez pitched one inning for Texas, and Keibert Ruiz went 1-for-4 with one strikeout for Washington. Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up two hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts before being removed from the game due to an injury concern. Meanwhile, Nationals pitcher Mitchell Parker pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up six hits, three earned runs, two walks, and five strikeouts.

Up Next
The Rangers will embark on a 10-game road trip starting with a three-game series at the Kansas City Royals beginning on Friday at 6:40 p.m. Central.