Wander Franco and Harold Ramirez each homered to lead the visiting Tampa Bay Rays to a 7-2 win against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday afternoon.
Shane McClanahan (2-0) allowed two runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts for the Rays, who improved to 6-0 on the season.
Patrick Corbin (0-2) gave up six runs on 10 hits over six innings for the Nationals, who have lost five of their first six games.
The Rays claimed a 3-1 lead in the third inning after Yandy Diaz singled and Franco followed with a line-drive homer into the Rays’ bullpen in left-center field.
Washington opened the fourth with four straight hits. Joey Meneses doubled and Keibert Ruiz, Michael Chavis and Stone Garrett singled to trim the deficit to 3-2 with the bases loaded, but McClanahan retired the next three batters on a pop up and two strikeouts.
Corbin had retired 11 Rays in a row before Ramirez lined a homer to center field with two outs in the sixth inning to increase the lead to 4-2.
Manuel Margot singled, stole second and scored when center fielder Victor Robles lost Taylor Walls’ fly ball in the sun for a double. Jose Siri’s single scored Walls to make it 6-2, and Randy Arozarena’s RBI single in the seventh capped the scoring.
Arozarena bunted for a hit to open the Tampa Bay second inning but was called out on a bang-bang play. The Rays asked for a video review and the call was overturned.
Two more singles loaded the base and Siri flied to right, with Arozarena barely beating the throw home to score the game’s first run. Shortstop CJ Abrams made a leaping catch on Francisco Mejia’s liner to end the inning.
Making his Nationals debut, Garrett drew a two-out walk in the second. Robles doubled to left-center field and Garrett beat the relay throw home to tie the score 1-1.
–Field Level Media
