ARLINGTON, Texas — Nathan Eovaldi pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings before leaving with groin tightness, 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 Hernandez finished off the four-hit shutout, Texas’ second this season.
The Rangers (17-15) won a second consecutive 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.
Eovaldi said he felt the injury throwing a 94 mph fastball for strike one to Luis Garcia Jr. with one on in the sixth. He’ll get an MRI on Friday.
“I went to throw it, and I kind of felt it,” Eovaldi said. “The initial thoughts that went through my head were I can call out the training staff, then maybe get the two warmup throws just to kind of check it out and stuff, but they wanted to play it safe and take me out of the game.”
“We’ll see how it feels [Friday]. Just play it safe. Again just trying to be smart with this, not push it.”
“He may need some rest,” Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’ll take care of him and do what’s right.”
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 3 runs and 6 hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five. He’d allowed three total runs in his previous three starts after being recalled from Class AAA Rochester on April 15 when Josiah Gray was placed on the injured list.
The two runs in a three-game series matched the Nats’ franchise low, done three previous times.
“If you think hitting’s easy, you’re really mistaken about this game,” Nationals Manager Dave Martinez said. “We’ve just got to keep going, keep grinding.”
Texas’ Josh Smith extended his on-base streak to a career-best 19 games with a second-inning walk.
Corey Seager, MVP of the Rangers’ World Series victory last fall, continued to struggle at the plate. Seager went 0 for 4 and is 3 for 41 over his past 11 games, dropping his batting average from .301 to .219.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, left, stands on the mound with catcher Jonah Heim as they wait on head athletic trainer Matt Lucero during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Eovaldi left the game with an unknown injury. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) walks off the field with pitching coach Mike Maddux, left, and head athletic trainer Matt Lucero, center, during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Eovaldi left the game with an unknown injury. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien follows through on a run-scoring single as Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz and umpire Jim Wolf, right, look on during the second inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Mitchell Parker throws to the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals pitching coach Jim Hickey (48) pays a mound visit to starting pitcher Mitchell Parker, Ildemaro Vargas (14) and catcher Keibert Ruiz, center rear, in the second inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals’ Luis Garcia Jr. is safe with a double under the attempted tag by Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien as umpire Ryan Blakney signals safe in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
