Nationals Shut Out by Rangers, 5-0, as Offense Stalls in Arlington

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Washington Nationals could not solve Cal Quantrill on Tuesday night, falling 5-0 to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in the opening game of their three-game series.

Quantrill delivered seven scoreless innings and allowed only four hits while striking out five without issuing a walk. Texas gave him all the support he needed by scoring in each of the first three innings against Nationals rookie Jackson Kent.

The loss extended Washington’s losing streak to four games and marked its sixth defeat in seven games. The Nationals were shut out for just the fourth time this season.

Rangers Strike Immediately

Texas wasted little time putting pressure on Kent, who was making just his second major league start.

Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager opened the bottom of the first with consecutive singles, putting runners at the corners with nobody out.

Jake Burger then grounded into a double play, allowing Langford to score from third and giving the Rangers an early 1-0 lead.

Kent escaped without further damage, but Texas continued attacking him the next inning.

Justin Foscue stepped in with one out in the second and drove a pitch 400 feet over the left-field wall for a solo home run, extending the Rangers’ lead to 2-0. It was Foscue’s first home run since July 9.

Texas Breaks It Open in the Third

The Rangers essentially put the game away with a three-run third inning.

Langford again started the rally with a leadoff single before Seager doubled, putting runners at second and third.

Brandon Nimmo followed with a ground ball to second baseman Jorbit Vivas. Langford raced home and beat the throw to make it 3-0. Washington challenged the play, but the call was upheld.

Ezequiel Duran later walked to load the bases, and Foscue drew another walk to force home Seager for Texas’ fourth run.

Cody Freeman then sent a ground ball toward third that deflected off Brady House’s glove and became an RBI single, pushing the Rangers’ advantage to 5-0.

Texas had scored in each of the first three innings and forced Washington to play from a sizable deficit before its offense had generated much of anything.

Rough Second Start for Kent

Kent could not repeat the success of his major league debut.

The 23-year-old left-hander allowed five runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three while taking his first major league loss.

Texas consistently put runners on base against him, particularly at the top of the lineup.

Langford finished with two hits, one walk and two runs scored, while Seager collected a double and a single. Foscue supplied the biggest offensive punch with the solo home run and a bases-loaded walk.

Kent’s early struggles left Washington facing a five-run deficit before the fourth inning had ended.

Trevor Williams Stabilizes the Game

The Nationals did receive an encouraging performance from Trevor Williams after Kent exited.

Williams entered from the bullpen and threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out five. His outing kept Texas from extending the lead and gave Washington at least a chance to work its way back into the game.

The Nationals’ bullpen ultimately did its job.

The problem was that the offense never mounted a serious comeback.

Quantrill Controls Washington

Quantrill was in complete command.

He scattered four hits across seven innings, did not walk a batter and consistently kept Washington from building innings.

The Nationals rarely generated traffic and never forced Quantrill into significant trouble. He improved to 5-4 with the victory.

CJ Abrams was one of the few bright spots for Washington, collecting a double and a single after going hitless during the Nationals’ weekend series against the New York Mets.

Dylan Crews also singled in the seventh, but Texas continued to keep the Nationals off the scoreboard.

Nationals Finally Threaten in the Eighth

Washington’s best scoring opportunity came in the eighth inning.

Nasim Nuñez opened the frame with a single against Robby Ahlstrom.

With two outs, Andrés Chaparro drove a ball into left field that appeared capable of scoring Nuñez from first.

Instead, the ball bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double.

Because of the automatic double, Nuñez was forced to stop at third rather than score, leaving runners at second and third.

The Nationals suddenly had an opportunity to cut into the 5-0 deficit.

Jakob Junis ended it immediately.

He struck out pinch hitter José Tena to strand both runners and preserve the shutout.

Washington finished with six hits but could not push a run across.

Washington’s Slide Continues

The Nationals entered the series looking for a reset after being swept by the New York Mets.

Instead, the offensive struggles followed them to Texas.

Washington has now lost four consecutive games and six of its past seven.

Tuesday’s loss was particularly frustrating because the bullpen kept the Rangers scoreless after the third inning.

The damage was already done.

Texas received seven dominant innings from Quantrill and never allowed Washington’s lineup to gain any momentum.

MSB Take

This was a rough opening game to the series for Washington.

The Nationals fell behind almost immediately, and Kent never found the consistency necessary to slow down the Rangers’ lineup.

That can happen with a young pitcher making only his second major league start.

The bigger concern was the offense.

Washington had six hits but never found the one swing that could change the game. Quantrill deserves plenty of credit because he attacked the strike zone, did not walk anyone and forced the Nationals to earn everything.

Washington simply could not do it.

The eighth inning summed up the entire night.

Nuñez singled, Chaparro nearly drove him home, but the ground-rule double kept the run off the board. Then Tena struck out, and the threat disappeared.

The Nationals’ bullpen gave them a chance by keeping Texas scoreless after Kent departed. Trevor Williams, in particular, delivered an excellent relief outing.

But playing from five runs behind requires the offense to eventually respond.

Tuesday night, it never did.

Washington will need a much better offensive performance in the second game of the series if it wants to stop a losing streak that has quickly reached four games.