Texas Rangers vs Washington Nationals Match Player Stats On Jun 09, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jun 9, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Catcher Jonathan Lucroy had three hits and three RBIs and batterymate Andrew Cashner gave up one run in seven innings as the Texas Rangers beat the sloppy Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday.

The third-place Rangers (28-32) improved to just 10-18 on the road while the first-place Nationals (38-22) are 17-10 at home. Washington made three errors, including two by shortstop Trea Turner.

Cashner (3-5), who gave up 11 hits and five runs in his last start, allowed just six hits Friday with two walks and four strikeouts. Alex Claudio struck out two in the eighth inning and Matt Bush got the last two outs for his seventh save after Stephen Drew drove in a run when his popup fell between two Texas outfielders in the ninth.

The Rangers loaded the bases in the sixth but starter Tanner Roark (6-3) fanned Elvis Andrus for the second out. Roark then walked Nomar Mazara to force in a run and make it 4-0.

Washington got on the board in the sixth as Anthony Rendon had an RBI single with two outs to make it 4-1. But he was thrown out at second on a relay to end the inning.

Rougned Odor (two hits) lined a homer to right to start the seventh to make it 5-1 and chase Roark, who gave up five runs (two earned) and 11 hits in six innings plus one batter.

Mazara and Delino DeShields, a Maryland native, also had two hits for Texas.

The Nationals entered Friday with a team batting average of .274 and 89 homers, and both marks led the National League. Ryan Zimmerman, Matt Wieters and Daniel Murphy had two hits for Washington.

Roark and Cashner settled into a pitcher's duel as the game progressed quickly in the early innings on a crisp spring night.

The Rangers had three singles in a row to begin the third, with Lucroy delivering an RBI single to make it 1-0. His hit scored Elvis Andrus, who led off with an infield single and went to second on a base hit by Mazara.

Lucroy gave Texas a cushion with a two-run homer to left with two outs in the fifth off Roark. That made the score 3-0 as the Rangers scored two unearned runs in the frame, as Shin-Soo Choo reached on an error by first baseman Zimmerman to begin the inning.

Cashner gave up just three hits and no runs in the first five innings.

Roark was drafted by the Texas Rangers out of the University of Illinois in the 25th round in 2008. He never reached the majors with Texas, and was traded to the Nationals in 2010.

NOTES: The Texas Rangers recalled INF/OF Jurickson Profar from Triple-A Round Rock on Friday and sent LHP Dario Alvarez to Round Rock. Profar will be in his second stint with Texas this season and was with the team from Opening Day to April 30. Alvarez was 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 14 games with the Rangers. Profar started at third base and was 0-for-5 ... Texas INF Adrian Beltre was not in the starting lineup and did not play. He hurt his foot in a game Tuesday and did not play Wednesday. The Rangers were off Thursday ... Rangers RHP and minor leaguer RHP Yerry Rodriguez was handed a 75-game suspension Friday by MLB for testing positive for Hydrochlorothiazide, a performance-enhancing substance. Rodriguez was on the roster of the rookie-level Dominican Summer League Rangers and the suspension begins immediately ... Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (5-1, 3.03 ERA) will face Texas LHP Martin Perez (2-6, 4.64) Saturday.