Rendon stakes Fister to 1-0 lead in first (Nats win 10-2)

Well, that didn't take long. But it could have been more.

Anthony Rendon lined a 2-2 pitch from Nick Tepesch over the fence in left, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead over the Rangers in the first inning. While the Nats will gladly take offense in any shape or form, it's frustrating that the blast could have given them a 2-0 edge.

Denard Span drew a leadoff walk in the first, but drew immediate attention from Tepesch, who seemed determined to keep the speedster at first base. To the tune of four pickoff throws. Span gambled and took off with a 2-1 count and was caught stealing, the putout going 1-3-6.

Rendon followed with his sixth homer of the year.

Right-hander Doug Fister has been the advertised groundball machine through the first two innings, getting four of his six outs via his hard sinker (the other two have been called third strikes). The Rangers are beating the ball into the ground and Fister is keeping his defense on its toes. Rendon made a sparkling play to rob Adrian Beltre for the first out of the second, diving to his right and making a throw from foul territory.

We're headed to the bottom of the second with the Nats up 1-0.

Update: Jose Lobaton's two-run homer in the second, a shot that just sneaked into the stands in right-center, has increased the Nats' lead to 3-0. With one out, Danny Espinosa doubled to center and Lobaton followed by crushing an 89 mph sinker for his second homer of the season.

With two down, Span singled to left, Rendon reached on an infield single to the hole between short and third, and Jayson Werth hit an RBI double to left with a second run scoring on left fielder Shin-Soo Choo's error. It's 5-0 after two.

Update II: Fister retired the first 13 Texas hitters before Elvis Andrus smoked a double past third base. He then fanned Mitch Moreland and got Beltre to pop to left. Through four innings, Fister has six groundball outs and four strikeouts.

Update III: Without a little bobble by shortstop Andrus, the Rangers might have gotten out the fourth unscatched. Instead, they now trail 8-0.

Fister led off the inning with a pop fly that fell in short left-center when Andrus lost the ball in the sun. After Span flied out, Rendon's third hit of the day put runners on first and second. Werth hit a grounder to short that should have been an inning-ending double play, but Andrus lost the hande and the Rangers had to settle for a fielder's choice forceout at second.

Adam LaRoche followed with a three-run homer to right, his seventh of the year, to push the lead to 8-0.

Update IV: Fister won't get a shutout today. A two-out RBI double by Rougned Odor made it 8-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth.

An RBI single by Moreland makes it 8-2 in the sixth.

Update V: Scott Hairston hit a pinch-hit home run - the 13th of his career, most among active players- to up the lead to 10-2 in the sixth.

Craig Stammen is on in relief, so Fister is done for the day. Fister worked six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, with one walk and six strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches, 69 for strikes.