Post-Game Notes: Nationals 2, Rangers 1
TEXAS has gone 3-12 (.200) in one-run games this season, dropping 5 of 6 such contests this month…tonight’s series-opening defeat snapped streak of 3 straight wins in series openers and 6-game winning streak in Interleague play…marked 1st time to face the Nationals in Arlington since Washington’s only previous series ever in Texas (6/17-19/05)…tonight was just 3rd time to be held to one-or-zero runs this month (last 0-4 on 6/8 at CLE).
DANE DUNNING took no decision despite turning in his 6th quality start of the season (6.0 IP, 1 R-ER), 2nd-most among Rangers to only Martín Pérez (11)…was scoreless over his first 5.0 innings before permitting a 2-out, run-scoring double to Luis García in the 6th…exited after the 6th with an 0-1 deficit, as Texas failed to push across a run until Adolis García’s game-tying solo blast in the bottom of the 6th…entered tonight’s outing with a run support average (3.20 RS/9) that ranked 8th-lowest among A.L. starters in 2022…has produced a 1-5 record and 4.17 ERA (38 ER/82.0 IP) thru 15 starts this season, nearly a half-run improvement over his ERA from his first 15 starts of 2021 (4.63 ERA)…is 1-1 with a 2.83 ERA (15 ER/47.2 IP) in 8 starts at Globe Life Field this season, and has gone 6-4, 2.98 (38 ER/114.2 IP) in 21 starts at this venue since making his Texas debut in 2021.
ADOLIS GARCÍA cranked a game-tying solo home run in the 6th inning, leveling the score at 1-1…was his 10th HR since the start of May, 2nd-most on club over that span behind only Seager (11)…leads TEX batters in hits (27), RBI (15), and HR (6-tied) this month…hit the homer off a 69.3 mph curveball from Paolo Espino, the slowest pitch García has homered off of in his career (Statcast)...threw out Nelson Cruz at home plate in the 4th inning to record his team-leading 6th outfield assist of the season…marked the 3rd time of his career (2nd of 2022) to tally a HR and OF assist in the same game (last 4/17/22 vs. LA)...has hits in 6 straight and 13 of his last 14 G at .393/.426/.679/1.105 (22-56) to raise his season BA from .220 to .257.
MARCUS SEMIEN singled in each of his first 2 at-bats this evening…his 16 multi-hit games this season are 4th-most among Rangers (20-García, 19-Lowe, 17-Seager) and his 26 hits in June trail only Adolis García (27) for the team lead.
WASHINGTON has won 3 of last 4 G after an 8-game losing skid...just 3rd win all season when scoring one-or-2 runs, first such win on the road...now 3-30 when scoring 2-runs-or-less in 2022...had been 0-10 when scoring exactly 2 runs entering tonight...have won both series openers on this road trip after a 0-6 span in road series openers.
PAOLO ESPINO took no decision in his 3rd start of the year...posted season-high 5.1 IP, T3rd-longest outing of his career and longest since 9/19/21 vs. COL...each of his 3 starts have come in his last 3 G: 0-1, 2.57 (4 ER/14.0 IP) w/ 5 BB/10 SO...Espino in his last 21 G/3 GS beg. 4/15: 1.53 ERA (6 ER/35.1 IP), 1.02 WHIP, 6 BB/23 SO.
JOSH BELL went 3-for-4 with a triple, double, and RBI single, his team-leading 23rd multi-hit game of the season…was his 3rd game with multiple extra-base hits, all of which have come over his last 14 G (last 2 HR on 6/17 vs. PHI-G2)…the run-scoring single put the Nationals ahead, 2-1, in the 8th, as he ranks 2nd among club leaders in go-ahead RBI this season behind only Nelson Cruz (9-Cruz, 8-Bell)…tonight was the Irving, Tex. native’s 3rd career appearance in Arlington (last 5/1/19 at TEX w/ PIT) and 1st-ever appearance at Globe Life Field.
MISCELLANEOUS: Texas went 0-for-11 with RISP tonight, matching team’s most hitless AB w/ RISP in a game in the last 10 seasons (5x, last 5/13/21 at HOU)…TEX had not gone 0-fer in 11+ AB w/ RISP at home since 5/27/18 vs. KC (also 0-for-11)…Brad Miller made his 1,000th career appearance in a Major League game tonight, becoming the 69th active MLB player to reach the milestone…Adolis García has hit safely in 8 straight home games (beg. 6/4), the longest home hit streak by a Ranger this season…Nationals starters have 5.0+ IP and one-or-zero ER allowed in 4 of last 5 games.
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