Starter has trouble settling in on the road as Washington suffers fourth straight loss.
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The goal was straightforward for Washington Nationals pitcher Jackson Kent in his second major league start: get ahead in counts and throw more strikes.
On Tuesday, while he was in the zone more than in his previous start, he still struggled in both aspects as the Texas Rangers beat the Nationals, 5-0, to open the three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
The Nationals have dropped four games in a row.
Kent, 23, showed some promise in his debut on Aug. 12 against the Chicago Cubs, striking out six but also walking five batters, allowing three runs in four innings. To earn a spot in the rotation moving forward, he’ll have to find a way to consistently execute pitches.
“He’s got to learn on the job a little bit,” Nationals Manager Blake Butera told reporters. “He pitched great in the minor leagues and in Class AAA, and this is different, right? I think he’s going to have to learn some things. I think in between starts is going to be so important for him with our pitching coaches, just to continue to educate and learn and figure out how to navigate a major league lineup.”
While Kent was able to limit the damage in the first two innings, he was never able to settle in. In the first inning, Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager hit back-to-back singles as Kent fell behind both times. Jake Burger drove in one run on a groundout as the Nationals recorded a double play.
In the second inning, Justin Foscue fouled off five pitches in a row. Then he connected on a changeup at the bottom of the zone, sending it 400 feet into left field for a solo home run to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Kent walked Cody Freeman later in the inning, but he escaped without allowing any additional runs.
Kent didn’t get as lucky in the third. Langford hit a single to open the inning, followed by a double from Seager. After Kent struck out Burger for the first out, Brandon Nimmo hit a shallow grounder that Jorbit Vivas threw home to try to beat out a charging Langford. Langford was ruled safe, and Nimmo made it to first to give the Rangers runners on the corners.
Kent then walked Ezequiel Duran on four pitches and did the same to Foscue to give the Rangers a 4-0 lead. Cody Freeman added an RBI single later in the third inning.
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Kent gave up two more hits in the fourth before his day ended after 3⅔ innings.
“He just never really got off on a good footing,” Butera said. “They got on him pretty quickly, and he had to battle from the first at-bat of the game.”
Trevor Williams took over with two outs and two runners on. He struck out Duran to end the inning, then pitched through the seventh inning, allowing just two hits and no runs.
The offense had no answer for Rangers starter Cal Quantrill, compiling just four hits in seven innings. The Nationals had a chance in the eighth with Nasim Nuñez on third and Andrés Chaparro on second with two outs. Butera pinch-hit José Tena for Brady House against right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis, and Tena, who is hitting just .175 with runners in scoring position, promptly struck out on three pitches.
They had another chance in the ninth after Dylan Crews walked and Harry Ford singled, but Nuñez was unable to come through with two outs.
Note: Josiah Gray made his first rehab appearance on Tuesday night, pitching one inning of relief for Class A Fredericksburg. Gray allowed one run on two hits and struck out one.
Gray had Tommy John surgery in 2024 and missed the entire 2025 season. He looked poised to return this season, but a setback at the end of spring training landed him back on the injured list with a flexor strain.
The Nationals are hopeful they’ll get a few innings out of him this year to set him up for a full return in 2027. Gray has a career ERA of 4.84 in 73 major league starts.
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