Rays 5, Nationals 3
WASHINGTON -- The first seven batters in the order had at least one hit and Chris Archer picked up another road win Thursday as the Tampa Bay Rays won 5-3 over struggling Washington Nationals.
Not only did the nationals lose the game but they lost star right fielder Bryce Harper to an injury in the sixth as the visitors took the lead.
Three infielders for the Rays had at least two hits -- third baseman Evan Longoria, second baseman Logan Forsythe and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. Right fielder Steven Souza, Jr. scored two runs against his former team for the Rays, who are 19-11 on the road.
Tampa Bay has won 14 of the last 15 road starts by Archer. The first-place Rays (38-30) won seven of their last eight games while Washington (34-33), which made three errors for the second day in a row, is 6-11 in the month of June. Tampa Bay won three of four games over the Nationals in the two-city Interleague series over the past four days.
Archer (8-4) allowed eight hits and three runs with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings. The loss went to Doug Fister (2-3), who yielded nine hits and five runs with no walks and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Jake McGee pitched the eighth for the Rays and Brad Boxberger went the ninth for his 16th save.
Tampa Bay scored four runs in the sixth while Harper was injured during the rally. Joey Butler, a left fielder for the Rays, hit a solo homer to lead off the frame to cut the margin to 3-2.
Harper left the game after making a throw after an RBI single by Cabrera. With runners on first and second and one out, Cabrera lined a single to right as second baseman Logan Forsythe scored to tie the game at 3-3.
Harper's throw sailed into the Tampa Bay dugout as Souza, Jr. was awarded home plate to make it 4-3 as Cabrera was awarded third. Harper stayed on the ground for several minutes while holding his left leg. He walked off the field gingerly on his own power. Harper was replaced in right field by Clint Robinson.
The Rays took a 5-3 lead on an RBI triple by pinch-hitter David Dejesus.
Washington third baseman Yunel Escobar had hits in his first five at-bats and first baseman Danny Espinosa and center fielder Denard Span, who sat out Wednesday with back spasms, had two each. Escobar has had three games with five hits in a game this year. His last hit came with two outs in the ninth, but Robinson grounded out to end the game.
The Nationals scored two earned runs in the first inning, as Harper had an RBI single and Espinosa drove in a run with a fielder's choice.
The Rays trimmed the lead to 2-1 with an RBI single in the second by first baseman Jake Elmore.
Washington got the run back in the last of the second as Escobar singled to drive in left fielder Michael A. Taylor to make it 3-1.
NOTES: The game was interrupted for 17 minutes because of light rain prior to the last of the fourth. ... Washington RHP Doug Fister was activated off the disabled list to start Thursday and RHP Taylor Hill (0-0, 3.75) was sent to Triple-A Syracuse. ... Washington will open a three-game series at home Friday with the Pittsburgh Pirates as RHP Joe Ross (1-1, 3.46 ERA) will face RHP A.J. Burnett (6-2, 1.89). ... Tampa Bay RHP Nathan Karns (3-3, 3.67) will start Friday against RHP Carlos Carrasco (8-5, 4.38) in Cleveland. ... Tampa Bay OF Steven Souza Jr. was honored with the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year GIBBY (Greatness in Baseball Yearly) Award by MLB.com. Souza made a diving catch in left-center on Sept. 28 to rob Miami's Christian Yelich of extra bases for the last out in the no-hitter by Washington RHP Jordan Zimmermann. Souza hit a homer against Zimmermann on Wednesday.