Rays 6, Nationals 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays got a fourth straight impressive start from Erasmo Ramirez, who threw six shutout innings to lead the Rays to a 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday at Tropicana Field.
The Rays (36-29) won their fourth straight, and their last eight wins have all come by one or two runs.
Ramirez (6-2) earned his sixth win in his last seven starts. He has allowed just three runs in his last four starts, over a combined 23 1/3 innings.
Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez lasted just 3 1/3 innings for his shortest outing of the season, leaving with a 5-0 deficit in the fourth inning.
Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and rookie right fielder Steven Souza had five walks, tying the team record set by Matt Joyce last year.
The Rays took a shutout into the ninth, then gave up one run before getting a game-ending double play. Even with the 6-1 win, the Rays left a season-high 13 runners on base, with Washington (33-31) stranding 10.
Ramirez kept the Nationals scoreless through five innings, getting a line-drive out with the bases loaded in the fifth on his 93rd pitch of the night.
Tampa Bay's scoring was sparked by the hustle of center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. In the second inning, he hit what normally would be a routine single to center and never stopped running, beating the throw for a double. He then stole third base and scored on a sacrifice fly by catcher Rene Rivera for a 1-0 lead.
The Rays had three hits and two runs each in the third and fourth innings. Forsythe had an RBI single, and first baseman Jake Elmore a sacrifice fly in the third, and then third baseman Evan Longoria added a sacrifice fly and Forsythe and RBI single in the fourth.
Forsythe's single chased Gonzalez after just 3 1/3 innings. After giving up a combined nine runs in his previous four starts, Gonzelez gave up five Monday.
Kiermaier got a ground ball to carom off the top of first base for a double in the sixth, and he scored on a triple by left fielder Brandon Guyer for a 6-0 lead.
The Rays were hit by Nationals pitches three times -- Longoria was hit in the left hand/wrist in the sixth inning and left the game.
Washington was playing just its second series at Tropicana Field as the Nationals, with an 0-3 record coming in. There are only two other places the Nationals have yet to win -- going 0-3 at Oakland and 0-5 at Detroit.
NOTES: The Rays signed OF Grady Sizemore to a minor-league deal Monday, and he'll report to the team's minor-league complex in Port Charlotte to begin working out. The 32-year-old hit .245 in 39 games with the Philadelphia Phillies this season. ... Catcher Bobby Wilson, designated for assignment last week by the Rays, has cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Durham. ... Nationals RF Bryce Harper got his 200th career RBI on Saturday. Per Elias Bureau, the last person younger than Harper, 22, to reach 200 RBIs was Miguel Cabrera, who was about seven months younger when he did it in 2005. ... Rays LHP Matt Moore had a rehab start in Port Charlotte postponed from Monday to Tuesday due to heavy rains in the area.