Soroka Dominates as Nationals Defeat Rangers 2-0

Michael Soroka delivered an impressive performance on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings, as the Washington Nationals secured a 2-0 victory against the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

Soroka, now with a record of 3-3, allowed just two hits and issued one walk. Following his exit, Brad Lord and Jose A. Ferrer each contributed three outs before Kyle Finnegan closed out the game, earning his 18th save while preserving the two-hitter.

The game unfolded at a brisk pace, concluding in just 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Texas managed its first hit in the fifth inning when Adolis García singled with two outs. Josh Smith followed with another single in the sixth, marking the Rangers' fourth consecutive loss.

Washington took an early lead in the second inning. Nathaniel Lowe and Alex Call initiated the rally with back-to-back singles. Lowe advanced to third on a flyout and subsequently scored on a groundout by Robert Hassell III.

Call extended the Nationals' lead in the seventh inning, hitting his first home run of the season.

On the opposing side, Patrick Corbin pitched eight innings for Texas, allowing five hits while striking out two and walking none. This marked Corbin's longest outing of the season, as he faced his former team.

The 35-year-old right-hander, who joined the Rangers in March, previously recorded a 47-77 record with a 5.11 ERA over six seasons with the Nationals. Notably, he was instrumental in the 2019 World Series, where he secured a win in Game 7 against the Astros after throwing three scoreless innings in relief.

In a critical moment during the sixth inning, Texas placed two runners on base, but Soroka managed to escape the threat when Marcus Semien flied out.

The Rangers have struggled recently, losing nine of their last ten road games and failing to win any of their last six road series openers.

Looking ahead, Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (5-2, 2.34 ERA), who has allowed two runs or fewer in nine consecutive starts, is set to face left-hander Mitchell Parker (4-5, 4.71 ERA) in Saturday's middle game of the series.