Stephen Strasburg pitched the Washington Nationals out of their slump and captured his sixth straight win in a much-needed 3-2 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
The Nationals, who had lost their previous four straight, gave Strasburg a 3-0 lead in the first inning and the big right-hander took care of the rest as he struck out 10 batters over seven innings and improved to 9-1 on the season.
Bryce Harper had an RBI single and scored on an error, and Ian Desmond added a run-scoring single for the Nationals (39-27).
Tampa Bay starter Chris Archer made a successful Major League debut, shaking off his rocky first and lasting six innings while striking out seven.
Jose Molina hit a solo homer in the second against Strasburg, and the Rays (38-30) added a run in the third but could not find the equalizer.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Ian Ransom)
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.