Nationals Fall to Rangers in 2-0 Pitchers Duel
By Pablo Roa
Jun 1, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Tanner Roark (57) throws during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
After combining for 19 runs over the first two games of the series, the Washington Nationals offense was unable to produce against a dominant Yu Darvish, who led the Texas Rangers to a 2-0 win Sunday afternoon.
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Although Darvish and the Rangers came out on top, the Nationals kept it close all day thanks to yet another strong performance by Tanner Roark. The right-hander allowed just one run on seven hits while striking out four batters over seven innings of work.
But as good as Roark was, Darvish was even better. The Rangers right-hander allowed just five hits while striking out 12 batters over eight scoreless innings of work. Darvish dominated the Nationals lineup, striking everybody out at least once, except for center fielder Denard Span, who went 2-4 on the day.
Both pitchers were cruising early on as it remained a scoreless tie until the top of the seventh, when the Rangers scored their first run on a solo home run off the bat of Leonys Martin. Texas added to its lead an inning later on an RBI single by Donnie Murphy, making it a 2-0 game. Rangers closer Joakim Soria shut down the Nationals in the bottom of the ninth, sealing a 2-0 loss for the Nationals and a game three salvage for the Rangers.
With today’s loss, the Nationals are back under .500 at 27-28 and fall to three and a half games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.