Rangers lose 2-0 to the Nationals on June 7, 2025, as a brilliant Patrick Corbin start is wasted by an offense that managed only two hits. Read why.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It’s a story Rangers fans have become painfully familiar with this season: solid pitching, nonexistent hitting, and another notch in the loss column. The scene was Nationals Park on Saturday, where a strong eight-inning performance from Patrick Corbin wasn't nearly enough to overcome an offense that managed just two singles, leading to a 2-0 shutout defeat and extending the team's losing streak to four games.
The Rangers' offense has now been shut out eight times and held to a single run on 12 separate occasions this season.
Facing his former team, Patrick Corbin gave the Rangers everything they could have asked for. He was efficient and effective, going eight full innings while allowing just two runs on five hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. It was a vintage performance that should have put Texas in a position to win. The only blemishes were a second-inning groundout by Robert Hassell III that brought a run home and a solo shot by Alex Call in the seventh. Unfortunately, being 'in a position to win' doesn't mean much when the bats are silent.
The Rangers' lineup was once the most feared in baseball, but those days feel like a distant memory. The team's two lone hits came from an Adolis García single in the fifth and a Josh Smith single in the sixth. That’s it. This isn't a one-off bad night; it's a crippling, season-long trend. Key cogs from the World Series run are struggling mightily. Marcus Semien is hitting .200, Adolis García is at .212, and Joc Pederson is languishing at .131. The loss marks the team's ninth defeat in their last ten road games and their sixth straight loss in a road series opener.
If there's a light at the end of this dark tunnel, it has to be Jacob deGrom. The Rangers' ace is set to take the mound for the middle game of the series, and he's been nothing short of spectacular. Carrying a 5-2 record and a sparkling 2.34 ERA, deGrom hasn't allowed more than two runs in nine consecutive starts. He'll face Nationals' lefty Mitchell Parker (4-5, 4.71 ERA) in a matchup that heavily favors Texas on paper. The lineup will need to find a way to support their ace and break out of its funk.
The Rangers are desperate for a spark to halt this downward spiral. With their bona fide ace, Jacob deGrom, on the hill for the next game, the team has its best possible chance to stop the bleeding. The question remains the same as it has all season: Can the lineup finally deliver for their pitcher? The next game feels less like just another contest in June and more like a must-win to salvage the road trip and restore a sliver of hope.
