ARLINGTON -- With the Rangers’ offense continuing its season-long struggles, a starting pitching injury is the last thing they need. So there was understandable panic when Nathan Eovaldi reported right triceps fatigue on Tuesday night in the middle of his start against the Blue Jays.
Eovaldi was worked hard for 39 pitches, allowing a pair of hits and a walk through the first two innings, but he allowed no runs. He did not return for the third inning. Five Rangers relievers combined to throw seven scoreless frames in a 2-0 win over Toronto.
“It's awesome that they were able to pick me up today,” Eovaldi said of the bullpen. “I don’t like coming out of the game early. I don't like coming out before the fifth, really. They were able to come in and do the job. It was a huge one for us.”
The club announced that Eovaldi was removed as a precaution and is not expected to miss time due to the issue, but he will continue to be evaluated in the coming days. Eovaldi’s velocity was down less than a tick, but nothing to be overly worried about.
The plan, for now, is for him to make his next start in Tampa next Tuesday. With an off-day on Thursday and again on Monday, the rotation could continue in this order while still getting Eovaldi two extra days of rest.
“It's been going on for the last few games or so, but we've been able to manage it,” Eovaldi said. “Today just felt a lot tighter. … [Pitching coach Mike Maddux] does a great job of paying attention to what we're doing, what we got going on, and just being honest with everybody. Ultimately, he kind of made that decision for me. It's a good thing for us. We got a lot of season left, and we want to make sure that we stay healthy.”
Eovaldi said his concern level isn’t super high at the moment, but he’s aware of how many pitches and innings he’s thrown at this point of the season. Getting a few extra days should help him get back on track and on the mound again soon.
“I'm optimistic moving forward, but I hate coming out of games like that and putting the bullpen in that situation,” Eovaldi said.
If all goes according to plan, this would be a huge win for the Rangers, with Eovaldi remaining atop a star-studded and electric staff.
Entering the day, Texas' starting rotation had allowed three or fewer runs in 17 straight games, tied for its longest such streak in club history (since 1972). The starters had pitched to a 2.54 ERA since May 9, lowering the rotation's season ERA from 3.15 to 2.94 in that span. The 2.94 ERA led the AL and was second in MLB, just behind the Mets’ ERA of 2.84. It was the lowest in franchise history (since 1961) through the first 55 games of a season.
Eovaldi is the best of the rotation with a team-leading 12 starts in 2025.
Entering the day, Eovaldi was ranked third in the AL with a 1.60 ERA, just behind the Yankees’ Max Fried (1.29) and the Royals’ Kris Bubic (1.45). His ERA was the second lowest by a Texas pitcher through 11 starts in club history, trailing only Martín Pérez's 1.56 ERA in his first 11 games of 2022.
Despite the rotation’s continued success, the bullpen was the main character on Tuesday. Jacob Latz (three innings), Shawn Armstrong (1 2/3 innings), Hoby Milner (one-third inning), Luke Jackson (one inning) and Robert Garcia (one inning) combined to shut down the Blue Jays.
Garcia collected his third save in his last 18 outings after not recording one over his first 106 MLB appearances.
“Obviously, it's tough when one of our guys goes down like that,” Latz said. “I think you definitely saw us feeding off each other today. It was just the way that every pitcher came out there and was just ready from pitch one to keep the game where it was and try to fight for a win. It felt really good that we could come through.”