Texas Rangers center fielder Evan Carter finished a triple shy of the cycle with a single, a double, a home run and two RBIs in a 4-2 win over the Nationals on Sunday afternoon.
Fellow Ranger Jake Burger, a designated hitter, matched the feat with a single, double and homer of his own.
Nationals starter Trevor Williams earned the loss, dropping his record to 3-7 on the season. He tossed 4 1/3 innings, allowing three total runs on six hits with two strikeouts.
Both teams dealt with an extended rain delay that pushed the first pitch back by 100 minutes. The overcast skies stuck around as the Washington, D.C. region remained under a tornado watch for most of Sunday afternoon.
Carter opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the top of the second that allowed second baseman Marcus Semien to score from first.
Right fielder Alex Call cut into the lead with a solo home run — his second of the season and second of the series — in the fourth.
“This is the spot I’ve been trying to get to,” Call said. “It’s tough to one: get there and two: stay there. But I’d like to hold onto this.”
Later in the fourth inning, designated hitter Josh Bell evened the score with an RBI fielder’s choice — the 260-pounder hustled down the first-base line to beat an attempted double play, keeping the inning alive.
Outside of the early rally, the Nationals’ offense continued to struggle. The downswing has nagged manager Dave Martinez, who saw his club post 38 runs in a four-game stretch to close last month.
“They’re trying to force the issue,” Martinez said, noting that he wants his hitters to focus on reaching base before trying to slug souvenirs into the stands. “They just want to do more.”
The aggressive approach didn’t work on Sunday as Washington hitters continued their struggles. Fly balls and groundouts dominated the scorebook.
The tie game didn’t last.
A double, an error and a walk loaded the bases for the Rangers in the fifth. Nationals reliever Brad Lord replaced Williams and induced a pair of ground balls to escape the inning with a 3-2 deficit.
Lord loaded the bases again in the sixth, though. This time, fellow reliever Jose Ferrer bailed him out with a pair of strikeouts to escape the jam.
Texas’ offense kept pushing, despite finishing 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
A solo home run by Burger in the eighth inning sealed the win for Texas.
Rangers reliever Jacob Webb earned the win, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.
The Nationals fell to 30-35 on the season with the loss. They trail the NL East-leading New York Mets by 11 1/2 games.
“The vibe remains the same,” Williams said, despite the recent struggles. “All these guys care about each other in this clubhouse and fights for one another, no matter if we’re on a 10-game winning streak or 10-game losing streak.”
The Nationals have an off day on Monday before heading to New York for a three-game set against the Mets that kicks off on Tuesday.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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