WASHINGTON — Though the Rays have little chance to pile up enough wins to make the playoffs, there are still some individual numbers some of their players are aiming for.

Such as Brandon Lowe and 30 home runs.

Lowe on Friday went deep for the 27th time this season, giving the Rays an early lead they rode to a 4-1 victory over the Nationals, improving to 65-69.

Lowe homered in back-to-back games for the fifth time this season.

With 28 games remaining, he has a reasonable shot to get to 30 for the second time in his eight seasons with the Rays. He hit a career-high 39 in 2021.

Lowe’s two-run homer in the first came after Yandy Diaz singled with two outs against Washington starter Mitchell Parker.

The Nationals halved the margin in the bottom of the first as Adrian Houser got off to a s

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