ARLINGTON -- For a while on Friday night, it appeared as if the Rangers could collect their longest win streak since August 2023.
After all, they got another nice and steady start from Nathan Eovaldi, who tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Astros, navigating around a pair of hits and three walks. They got a couple of early runs with a big two-out RBI single from Jonah Heim in the second inning. And maybe most importantly, the trio of high leverage arms of Luke Jackson, Chris Martin and Robert Garcia appeared to be rested and healthy.
Instead, the Rangers' win streak came to an unfortunate and whimpering end at six games when they fell, 6-3, to the Astros at Globe Life Field. Houston scored six two-out runs in the top of the seventh inning off Texas relievers Hoby Milner and Shawn Armstrong, completing a comeback effort after getting shut out in the series opener.
“It's kind of stressful for these pitchers when we only give them one or two runs,” Heim said. “I think the pitching staff has been absolutely phenomenal. So that's on us as an offense to give these guys a little bit of stress-free innings. The Astros worked them and they took some good pitches. I thought Evo made some really good pitches too.”
Armstrong had been the hero this week with a pair of saves over his last two outings as high-leverage arms Jackson and Martin deal with their nagging injuries.
One more piece of heroics was just a bit too much to ask, as he issued two-out walks to Jeremy Peña and Jose Altuve to load the bases, setting up Isaac Paredes (two-run single) and Christian Walker (three-run homer), for the final blows.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said postgame that Martin was available after a scare with elbow tightness, but Jackson was not as he continues to nurse a hand contusion.
“Armstrong’s been throwing the ball well,” Bochy said. “We were just looking to get an out there [in the seventh]. I didn’t want to get one of those guys [Martin or right-hander Jacob Webb] up and then go back out for the eighth. Armstrong was off. It didn’t work out, no doubt. Sure, you can look back, but he was just off tonight. … He just walked a couple guys. I know he's trying to make pitches so he wouldn't tie the game, and maybe got a little too careful there.”
Though Eovaldi likely could have finished the sixth inning on his own, leaving clean innings for Milner, Armstrong or both, he grinded hard all night long as the Astros worked the counts and drew a season-high three walks off him.
He was particularly frustrated with the two-out walk to Walker in the sixth inning that ultimately ended his night.
“Having that two-out walk, you know how I am with the little things,” Eovaldi said. “I'd rather give up a double in the gap right there than give him a free base. Make him earn it. I feel like if I had gotten him out, I might have had an opportunity to go out the next inning and try to eat another inning for the guys.”
Eovaldi did everything he could to will the Rangers to a victory, much like he’s done all season long.
With Friday’s outing, he lowered his season ERA to 1.61 across 61 1/3 innings, which is his best ERA across a 10-game stretch in his career. His only better 10-game stretch game was from April 18-June 10, 2023, when he posted a 1.65 ERA in 71 innings.
Despite all of that, Eovaldi was clearly frustrated with his outing.
“At the end of the day they're zeros, right?” he said. “But I just feel like with where we are with our bullpen and everything, I needed to go out there and go deeper into the game. …I just feel like I should have done a better job. I was frustrated with myself and the way that I kind of let some of those at-bats get away from me tonight.”