WASHINGTON -- After getting pummeled by Washington in two straight games, the Texas Rangers were eager to stop the Nationals seemingly interminable parade around the bases. Yu Darvish gave the Rangers just what they needed to avert a humbling sweep. Darvish struck out 12 over eight innings, Leonys Martin broke open a scoreless duel with a homer in the seventh and Texas secured a 2-0 victory Sunday. The Rangers won despite losing an apparent run in a rare double challenge on the same play. Managers Ron Washington of Texas and Matt Williams lodged separate complaints after a double steal in the first inning. Pitching for the first time since May 22 after missing his last turn with a stiff neck, Darvish (5-2) gave up five hits and walked two in dropping his ERA to 2.08. The right-hander matched his season high in strikeouts and overpowered a club that won 9-2 on Friday and 10-2 Saturday. "That team for two days just swung the bats at will, threw the ball around the ballpark, out of the ballpark," Washington said. "We certainly needed to try to slow them down, and (Darvish) did that. He slowed them down. Yu was good today. He was very good. When the team needed him to be very good, he was." Joakim Soria worked a perfect ninth to earn his 11th save and seal Texas major league-leading 11th shutout. Darvish struck out the side in the second and fanned two in each of the next three innings before encountering trouble in the sixth. One-out singles by Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche put runners at first and third before Darvish struck out Wilson Ramos and retired Ian Desmond on a deep fly to right field. Darvish yielded a two-out walk in the seventh and left after a 1-2-3 eighth. "We just needed Yu to pitch well," Washington said, "and he pitched well." Darvish was worried that neck stiffness might be a problem, but it obviously didnt turn out to be an issue. "Last night before I went to bed, I was very scared to wake up with a neck injury so I probably woke up 20 times," he said through a translator. "But I didnt have any pain when I woke up this morning." Darvish got the only run he needed when Martin hit an 0-1 pitch from Tanner Roark (3-4) into the Washington bullpen beyond the right-field wall. It was his third home run in 183 at-bats this season and ended the Rangers run of homerless games at six. Roark allowed only one run and seven hits in seven innings but lost his third straight start. "He made one mistake to Martin, a changeup that was up in the strike zone," Williams said. "Other than that, he matched him perfectly." Roark has lost three straight starts but owns a 3.25 ERA and has allowed only eight earned runs over his last 32 2-3 innings. In this one, he kept the Rangers at bay until Martin connected. "It was just a bad changeup. It was up and I didnt throw it with conviction," Roark said. "Thats how its been the past couple games, just one pitch." Donnie Murphy added an RBI single off Drew Storen in the eighth. Murphy had a season-high three hits and was flawless in his first career game at first base. "Hes a pro," Washington said of Murphy. "Every time he goes out there he does something for us." In the first inning, both managers talked to the umpires. With two outs and runners on the corners, Elvis Andrus and Alex Rios executed a double steal. Rios was called out for coming off second base after the steal, but umpires ruled Andrus crossed the plate before the tag. The Texas manager challenged the call at second and Williams insisted the out occurred before Andrus crossed the plate. After replays were reviewed over a span of 2 minutes, 45 seconds, Texas lost its challenge and the Nationals assertion was confirmed. "I might have reacted too soon," Washington acknowledged. "I should have waited until the first inning was over and I would have had my challenge. I was just trying to protect myself." In the bottom half, Ramos looked at a third strike with two outs and runners at first and third. It was the first of five straight strikeouts for Darvish. NOTES: Rangers LF Michael Choice was scratched from the starting lineup with a bruised left shin. ... Both teams are off Monday. Washington hosts Philadelphia on Tuesday night and the Rangers face visiting Baltimore. ... Denard Span got his eighth steal in the third inning, Washingtons 27th this season. Only five Nats have been caught stealing. ... Texas finished its 11-game road trip with a 7-4 record and ended a four-game road losing streak against NL foes. ... Washington fell to 4-26 when scoring fewer than four runs. Randal Grichuk Jersey . "If we could score a six in every game, obviously I would be pretty excited," Jones said. "Its a long week but a short week. Its a pretty short round robin from what were used to so you dont want to get behind the eight ball early. Rickey Henderson Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline isnt that far away and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/3096h-will...-blue-jays.html. Hall joined Bengals teammates for a voluntary workout on Monday. Hes got his mobility back and is on schedule to be ready for the season. CINCINNATI - Bengals cornerback Leon Hall is happy with his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and expects to be ready for the start of training camp in July. Billy McKinney Jersey .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. Roberto Alomar Blue Jays Jersey . Thats when the eight-time champion revealed that a painful back is slowing his serves -- and, all in all, giving him more trouble than his opponents so far.SAN FRANCISCO -- His left oblique no longer a painful obstacle, Francisco Liriano is starting to look like the dominant pitcher he was for Pittsburgh in 2013. With the Pirates in the thick of the race in the NL Central, the timing couldnt be better. Liriano struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night. "I was just trying to hit my spots, make some good pitches," said Liriano, who last won consecutive starts nearly a year ago. "My last start and tonight, everythings getting better pitching-wise and Im getting ahead with the fastball." Josh Harrison hit a leadoff home run in the first inning and Travis Snider added a two-run shot in the second for the Pirates, who moved within one game of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. A former minor league prospect for the Giants, Liriano (3-7) gave up a home run to Mike Morse but was otherwise stellar while leading the surging Pirates to their eighth win in 11 games. The left-hander allowed four hits, walked one and retired 18 of the final 21 hitters he faced. More importantly, Liriano threw first-pitch strikes to 19 of the 26 hitters he faced. Hes 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA over the last three starts. "I thought it was his best outing," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "The fastball played so well, he was able to get them into a swing mode. This is a guy who was a huge part of the success we had last year. Thats why I felt it was important to get him up and running again." San Francisco lost its sixth straight, matching its longest skid of the season. Harrison hit a 3-2 pitch from Giants starter Tim Hudson off the facing off the brick wall in right field for his first career leadoff home run. Harrison is hitting .583 (7 for 12) with a double and three home runs over his past three games.dddddddddddd Snider hit his seventh homer after Ike Davis reached on an infield single leading off the second. It was just enough to help the Pirates (57-49) move a season-high eight games over .500. Mark Melancon worked the ninth for his 20th save. Buster Posey had three of the Giants six hits, including a leadoff single in the ninth. Pablo Sandoval followed with a deep fly out to right before Melancon struck out Morse and pinch-hitter Travis Ishikawa. "Were sputtering with the offence," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "We just cant string together a few hits. We have to find a way. Its tough to go through this." Hudson (8-8) allowed six hits over seven innings and took his sixth loss in the last eight starts. NUMBERS The Pirates have won 17 consecutive games when scoring first. ... The Giants have lost eight of their last nine series at AT&T Park. ... Posey hadnt had a multi-hit game at home since June 26. ... Hudson is 1-6 with a 4.32 ERA over his past eight starts. POWER OUTTAGE San Francisco has scored just five runs over its past five games and has had four extra-base hits during that span. TRAINERS ROOM Pirates: Outfielder Starling Marte ran the bases but has not yet been cleared to play after being placed on the 7-day concussion list. Marte is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday but no move is expected. Giants: Right-hander Matt Cain plans to meet with specialist Dr. James Andrews this week to get a second opinion on his injured elbow. Bochy said the move is precautionary and that surgery has not yet been discussed. ON DECK Tim Lincecum (9-7) pitches the finale for the Giants on Wednesday. Charlie Morton (5-10) goes for the Pirates, who are seeking their first sweep at San Franciscos waterfront ballpark since 2007. ' ' '