ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers starter Jon Gray just kept getting the sign from catcher Jonah Heim and filling the strike zone with heaters, sliders and a few changeups against the Washington Nationals.
Gray retired 22 of the last 23 batters he faced while allowing only three singles over eight innings, and the Rangers won 7-1 on Tuesday night to end the Nationals' four-game winning streak.
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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers starter Jon Gray just kept getting the sign from catcher Jonah Heim and filling the strike zone with heaters, sliders and a few changeups against the Washington Nationals.
Texas Rangers' Adolis Garcia, left, lets the bat loose after being hit by a pitch as Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz, center, and umpire Ryan Blakney look on in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers' Leody Taveras (3) and Evan Carter, front right, celebrate with teammates after the team's win in a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals' Luis Garcia Jr. (2) celebrates his RBI single behind Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and umpire Edwin Jimenez, right, in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. CJ Abrams scored on the hit. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray throws to the Washington Nationals in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore throws to the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams reaches down to field a single hit by Texas Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams connects for a single as Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim looks on in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals' CJ Abrams sprints home to score on a single by Washington Nationals' Luis Garcia Jr. in the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) reaches first base on a single as Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray, right front, watches first baseman Nathaniel Lowe defend the bag in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Umpire Edwin Jimenez, left, looks on at the play. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, left, reaches down to field a grounder by Texas Rangers' Davis Wendzel as he runs to first base in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Wendzel was out at first on the play. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers' Jonah Heim follows through on an RBI single in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Nathaniel Lowe scored on the hit. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray throws to the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
“Just trusting his stuff and he's going right at these guys,” Heim said.
“He was on top of his game,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Just was solid work throughout the game.”
Josh Smith and Leody Taveras homered for the defending World Series champion Rangers (16-14), who have won back-to-back games for only the second time since April 6.
Coming off a four-game sweep at Miami when they scored 33 runs, the Nationals (14-15) missed a chance to get over .500 for the first time since July 1, 2021.
Gray struck out three without a walk after not getting past six innings in any of his previous five starts. The right-hander threw 72 of his 98 pitches for strikes before rookie Cole Winn pitched a perfect ninth.
“It was just, being more comfortable being over the middle of the plate,” Gray said. “First four or five games, we've kind of been off the plate, on the plate, on the plate, off the plate. Just getting behind guys, not really getting deep into games. ... I just hit a point where I was kind of sick of it. I would rather give up a home run than walk a dude.”
Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (2-3) struck out seven, walked one and allowed two runs and five hits over five innings.
CJ Abrams led off the game with an infield single to extend his on-base streak to 16 games. After he scored on a two-out single by Luis García Jr., Gray retired 12 in a row until a two-out in the fifth, then set down his last 10 batters.
“He got a lot of called strikes down, the slider was really, really good," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "Everything was down. We couldn’t do anything with it.”
The Rangers got even at 1 in the fourth after Nathaniel Lowe had an infield single with a slow high chopper over the mound on the 10th pitch he saw. He scored on a single by Heim.
They went ahead in the fifth when Marcus Semien tripled and scored on slugger Corey Seager's swinging dribbler just in front of the plate.
OTHER RUNS
Smith's second homer of the season came in the sixth. Lowe had an RBI single after Semien's double in the seventh, and Taveras hit a two-run homer to straightaway center in the eighth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Martinez said RHP Josiah Gray (right elbow/forearm flexor strain) is progressing. He says the pitcher has increased his throwing distance to 120 feet, is working on some mechanics on the mound and doing forearm strengthening.
Rangers: RF Adolis García stayed in the game after being hit on his right hand by a 96.7 mph fastball from Gore when checking his swing in the fifth. The slugger grabbed at his hand and was in the opposite on-deck circle squatting in obvious pain when an athletic trainer and Bochy got to him. García said afterward that he was OK. ... RHP Max Scherzer (offseason back surgery) had his second scheduled rehab start scratched because of thumb soreness.
UP NEXT
Trevor Williams (2-0, 2.70 ERA) pitches for Washington in the middle game of the series Wednesday night. The Rangers go with left-hander Andrew Heaney (0-3, 6.26).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Texas Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe follows through on an RBI single in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Marcus Semien scored on the hit. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers' Adolis Garcia, left, lets the bat loose after being hit by a pitch as Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz, center, and umpire Ryan Blakney look on in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers' Leody Taveras (3) and Evan Carter, front right, celebrate with teammates after the team's win in a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals' Luis Garcia Jr. (2) celebrates his RBI single behind Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and umpire Edwin Jimenez, right, in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. CJ Abrams scored on the hit. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray throws to the Washington Nationals in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore throws to the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams reaches down to field a single hit by Texas Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams connects for a single as Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim looks on in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals' CJ Abrams sprints home to score on a single by Washington Nationals' Luis Garcia Jr. in the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) reaches first base on a single as Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray, right front, watches first baseman Nathaniel Lowe defend the bag in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Umpire Edwin Jimenez, left, looks on at the play. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, left, reaches down to field a grounder by Texas Rangers' Davis Wendzel as he runs to first base in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Wendzel was out at first on the play. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers' Jonah Heim follows through on an RBI single in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Nathaniel Lowe scored on the hit. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray throws to the Washington Nationals in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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INTERNATIONAL
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