Rangers shut out Nationals 6-0. Eovaldi leaves start with groin injury

ARLINGTON, Texas — Nathan Eovaldi pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings before leaving with groin tightness and 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 Hernández 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.

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 two walks 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.

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.