Nathan Eovaldi strikes out nine in gem vs. Jays

Eovaldi racked up nine strikeouts on the night while allowing just one walk. He carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning, then fell apart a bit as he allowed a solo homer to Colt Keith and a two-run blast to Hao-Yu Lee. The 36-year-old hurler generated 18 swings and misses on 85 pitches in the game, posting an elite CSW of 38 percent. Now 9-7, he’ll bring a 4.02 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 110/24 K/BB ratio (105 1/3 innings) into Thursday’s showdown against the Angels.

Eovaldi had his start pushed back by a day because of knee soreness, but he was mostly really good today. The exception was the fourth inning, when he gave up six of the seven hits and all three runs he allowed on the day. The nine strikeouts are a new season high for him, and the win evened his record at 7-7. With just one no-decision this season, he’s actually tied for 17th in the majors in wins and sixth in the majors in losses. He’ll face the Blue Jays next.

MacKenzie Gore was moved up a day to fill in for Eovaldi, who will be on six days’ rest while facing the Padres.

The Rangers are calling the issue minor and it doesn’t sound like there are any immediate plans to place Eovaldi on the injured list. MacKenzie Gore, who had been scheduled to start on Sunday, will pitch on Saturday in Eovaldi’s place. The 36-year-old right-hander is considered day-to-day.

Eovaldi gave up two homers to Willson Contreras, but no one else did much damage. He allowed six hits, walked one and struck out six in all. It’s the seventh time in 14 starts this season that he’s completed seven innings. He’s now 6-7 with a 4.23 ERA, and he’s due for a home start against the Padres next weekend.

Eovaldi blanked the Royals for the first four innings, but things fell apart in the middle frames. He gave up homers in the fifth and sixth — both solo shots by Jac Caglianone — and a pair of run-scoring hits between to turn an excellent start into another mediocre one. The right-hander generated only six swings and misses before exiting, and he’s given up at least four runs in three straight starts to see his ERA rise from 3.65 to 4.26 in the process. He’ll try and get back on track against the Red Sox over the weekend.

Eovaldi entered the seventh up 4-2 and gave up a single, hit a batter and then surrendered a double and a single before being pulled. He was fortunate that Jalen Beeks stranded both inherited runners after taking over with none out. Eovaldi had 14 whiffs tonight, finishing with a 35 percent CSW. It wasn’t a particularly discouraging showing, even if he did allow 11 hits for just the fifth time in his career. He’ll face the Royals next Tuesday.

The 36-year-old right-hander punched out six batters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. The Astros jumped on him for three runs in the opening inning as Jeremy Pena socked a solo home run and Isaac Paredes added a two-run blast before an out had been recorded. They scratched out another pair against him in the third inning before Eovaldi settled in and finished his day with four scoreless frames. He got 11 whiffs on 90 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 28 percent. Now 5-6 on the season, he’ll look to bounce back as he brings a 3.93 ERA and 1.11 WHIP into Tuesday’s showdown against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

He struck out six, allowed five hits and walked two. Eovaldi was excellent after the first inning, but a two-run homer by Mike Trout in that first frame long with just one run of support while he was in the game. The right-hander now has a 3.65 ERA on the season, and a hard-luck 5-5 record to go with it. He’ll be back on the bump Thursday against the Astros and hope for a little more help from his offense in the process.

Eovaldi allowed five hits and walked two in the outing, lowering his ERA to 3.62 for the year. The right-hander was scratched from Monday’s start against the Diamondbacks due to a side issue, but he threw a midweek bullpen and didn’t appear affected by it, judging by the results. He also picked up a league-high 19 whiffs on Sunday. This week’s scratch helped him avoid a visit to Coors Field next time out, and he’ll instead match up against the Angels on the road.