Rays 5, Nationals 0
WASHINGTON -- Right fielder Steven Souza Jr. had three hits, including a home run, against his former team and four pitchers combined to allow just two hits as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Washington Nationals 5-0 on Wednesday night.
The game was delayed by rain for 27 minutes entering the botttom of the eighth inning.
The first-place Rays (37-30) have won five of their last six games and the second-place Nationals (34-32) have lost seven of their last 11 and are 6-10 this month.
Catcher Curt Casali had a career-high three hits with a homer for the Rays, who got a measure of revenge after allowing 23 hits in a 16-4 loss to Washington on Tuesday in Florida. It was the seventh shutout of the year for the Tampa Bay staff.
Rays winning pitcher Matt Andriese (2-1), who entered the game in the third, allowed no runs and two hits in four innings before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the seventh. Kevin Jepsen pitched a scoreless seventh and Ronald Belisario, just up from Triple-A, pitched the eighth and ninth.
Tampa Bay made it 5-0 in the eighth as Souza reached on a bunt single against reliever Blake Treinen. Left fielder David DeJesus, who had singled, came around to score when Treinen threw the ball past first base and Souza scored for the second time in the game when the ball got past third on a throwing error by right fielder Bryce Harper.
The Rays built the margin to 3-0 in the sixth as third baseman Evan Longoria, who had singled, scored when second baseman Logan Forsythe reached on an error by Washington shortstop Ian Desmond. Forsythe was credited with an RBI as Desmond made his 15th error of the year.
Washington starter Jordan Zimmermann (5-5) escaped further damage by getting Souza to ground into a double play. But Zimmermann, who gave up three runs and eight hits in seven innings, lost his third straight start after not tasting defeat from April 19 to June 7.
DeJesus and first baseman Jake Elmore added two hits each for the Rays. There were just a few hundred fans left for the final out after the rain delay.
Zimmermann gave up a homer to Souza -- his team-leading 13th of the year -- as the Rays took a 1-0 lead in the fifth. Two batters later, Casali hit his first major league homer, a solo shot to left in his 74th career trip to the plate to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 edge.
Last Sept. 28, Souza was playing left field for the Nationals when he made a diving catch in left center to preserve a no-hitter by Zimmermann. The catch was the last out of the game and robbed Miami's Christian Yelich of extra bases.
The late-minute starting pitcher for the Rays was Steve Geltz, who is normally a reliever but got the start over Andriese. Rays manager Kevin Cash said part of the reason for going with Geltz was because rain was in the forecast and the team didn't want to burn Andriese if the game was delayed.
Geltz pitched two perfect innings and then gave way to Andriese, who has made eight starts this year and made his fifth relief outing Wednesday. The Nationals' first hit was a bloop single to left by Harper in the fourth.
The Nationals were coming off a 16-4 win in Tampa against the Rays on Tuesday, but they had just two singles in the first five innings Wednesday.
NOTES: Rays RHP Chris Archer (7-4, 2.00 ERA) will face RHP Doug Fister (2-2, 4.31) in the series finale on Thursday. Fister is slated to come off the disabled list after throwing a minor league rehab game on Friday at Double-A Harrisburg. ... Tampa Bay OF Brandon Guyer played football and baseball at Herndon (Va.) High, about 30 miles from Nationals Park. ... Rays OF Steven Souza Jr. was playing in his first game at Nationals Park since he made a fabulous catch for the Nationals on Sept. 28 against the Miami Marlins for the last out in a no-hitter by Jordan Zimmermann. The starting pitcher for the Nationals on Wednesday was Zimmermann. Souza started in right field and hit sixth. ... Washington SS Ian Desmond entered Wednesday hitting .143 in his last 56 at-bats over 15 games and .115 in his last 26 trips to the plate. ... It was the first game in Washington for the Rays since 2012.