ARLINGTON, Texas — Jon Gray retired 22 of his last 23 opponents on a night in which he limited Washington to three singles in eight innings, leading the Texas Rangers to a 7-1 victory over the Nationals on Tuesday.
Washington saw its four-game winning streak snapped.
Josh Smith and Leody Taveras each contributed home runs for the Rangers (16-14), champions of the last World Series, who have won consecutive games for only the second time since April 6.
After achieving a sweep in a four-game series in Miami, the Nationals (14-15) missed the opportunity to get above the .500 mark, something they have not achieved since July 1, 2021.
Gray struck out three without walking. The right-hander threw 98 pitches, 72 of which were strikes, before rookie Cole Winn perfectly finished the ninth inning.
The loss went to starter MacKenzie Gore (2-3).
For the Nationals, Mexican Joey Meneses 4-0. Venezuelan Keibert Ruiz 3-0. Puerto Rican Eddie Rosario 3-0.
For the Rangers, Cuban Adolis García 3-1. The Dominican Taveras was 1 for 4 with one run scored and two RBIs.
