deGrom Silences Nationals Again as Rangers Take Series in Arlington
Jacob deGrom is 38 years old and still doing this to opposing lineups.
The Rangers right-hander turned in a dominant outing Friday night, anchoring a 2-0 win over the Nationals that closed out a series in which Texas won two of three meetings. DeGrom's final line translated to 62.0 fantasy points, a number that made him an easy choice for game MVP and reinforced why the Rangers' rotation remains the backbone of this club early in the season.
This one had the feel of a pitcher's duel from the jump. Washington starter Andrew Alvarez actually held his own, posting a respectable 27.0 fantasy points on the day, but respectable wasn't enough against deGrom and a Texas lineup that made just enough contact when it mattered. The Nationals bats, meanwhile, never found any rhythm. Washington was shut out for the second time in this series, a troubling sign for an offense that has now managed just six runs across three games against Texas this week.
The story of the game was simple: Texas pitching did its job, and Texas found enough offense to make it stand up. Ezequiel Duran was the engine at the plate, delivering a 35.5-point fantasy performance that made him the clear offensive standout for the Rangers. Corey Seager wasn't far behind, adding 33.5 points of his own. When your two shortstop-type performers are combining for nearly 70 fantasy points in a shutout win, that's your game right there. Wyatt Langford chipped in as well, and Justin Foscue added a steady 13.0 points from the middle infield, the kind of complementary production that keeps an offense humming even when the big crooked numbers aren't showing up on the scoreboard.
Texas also got quality bullpen work to close it out. Jacob Latz posted 13.5 fantasy points and Chase Silseth added 11.0, both doing enough to make sure deGrom's effort on the mound didn't go to waste. That's the formula for this Rangers team right now: a front-line starter setting the tone, and a bullpen that doesn't let leads slip away.
For Washington, there were some bright spots even in defeat. Brady House posted 11.0 fantasy points at third base, and Orlando Ribalta was effective out of the bullpen with 10.0 points, showing the Nationals' relief corps can hang if given a lead to protect. Unfortunately for Washington, they rarely have been able to give anyone a lead to protect this week. José Tena added 9.5 points at designated hitter, but the middle and bottom of the Nationals' order struggled mightily. Andrew Pinckney and Andrés Chaparro were both held off the scoresheet entirely, finishing with 0.0 fantasy points, and that kind of dead weight in the lineup makes it awfully hard to support a pitching staff that's actually shown some competence this series.
Zoom out and the picture is clear early in the season. The Rangers took this series, winning two of three against Washington, and they did it behind the arm that has defined this era of Texas baseball. DeGrom's health and effectiveness were the biggest questions surrounding this team, and if Friday's performance is any indication, those questions are being answered in the best possible way. A deGrom who can log innings like this changes the calculus for the entire Rangers season. Pair that with a lineup capable of getting big performances from Duran and Seager on any given night, and Texas looks like a team that could be tough to deal with as the year progresses.
Washington's issues run deeper than one series. The offense has been shut out twice against Texas alone, and outside of a lone 6-0 outburst, this lineup simply hasn't produced. Alvarez's start Friday suggests the Nationals' rotation isn't the problem; it's the bats that need to figure things out, and quickly, before a slow start turns into a lost month.
For fantasy managers building lineups on JockBroker, deGrom's outing is the headline number of the night, but the return of Duran and Seager as reliable middle-of-the-order threats is just as notable heading into the next stretch of games. Texas has options up and down that roster right now, and Washington needs answers fast.
