ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi allowed one hit over seven innings, Nathaniel Lowe hit a pair of two-run homers and the Texas Rangers ended their 11-game losing streak to the San Diego Padres with a 7-0 win on Tuesday night.
Eovaldi (5-3) struck out six while retiring 21 of 22 batters. The right-hander threw 61 of his 92 pitches for strikes.
“He was great. That’s the guy that he wants to be for us every time he gets the ball,” Lowe said. “Beautiful. That’s what he does.”
Jonathan Hernández gave up a hit over the final two innings to wrap up the Rangers’ eighth shutout this season. San Diego, which had won nine of its previous 11 games, was held scoreless for the sixth time.
Texas snapped what had been its longest losing streak against a single opponent in franchise history, and dated to September 2018. It was San Diego’s most consecutive wins against another team, and MLB’s longest active streak.
San Diego’s only hit off Eovaldi was a single to right on a first-pitch cutter to No. 9 hitter Bryce Johnson, a .167 hitter, with two outs in the third.
That was two batters after Ha-Seong Kim’s grounder deflected off third baseman Jonathan Ornelas. Shortstop Josh Smith was running forward when he made a bare-handed pick off the one hop and threw in one motion to get the batter out at first.
“We had some really good defensive plays behind me, so that always helps,” Eovaldi said. “Whenever we’re able to score first, my job is to keep it at bay and try not to let them get back in the game. … Once we get a big enough lead, you kind of switch into that attack mode even more.”
Lowe put Texas up 2-0 when he pulled a pitch from Dylan Cease (7-7) into the seats in right field in the first inning. Lowe went the opposite way in the third, a 383-foot homer that just cleared the wall in left for a 5-0 lead.
It was Lowe’s fifth career multihomer game, his first in three years and a day. It was also his third game in a row with multiple hits, and sixth in an 11-game span when he has 12 RBIs.
Leody Taveras had a pair of doubles, the first one driving in a run. He scored after the other one when Marcus Semien snapped an 0-for-18 slide with a bloop single that made it 6-0 in the fourth. Taveras walked leading off the sixth and scored when Ornelas doubled for his first career RBI.
Cease allowed six runs on eight hits, six for extra bases, in 3 2/3 innings that matched his shortest start of the season. He struck out five and walked two.
“I didn’t execute well,” Cease said. “Really didn’t get anything going, didn’t give us a chance. So not a good night.”
Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, who could be back in Texas in two weeks for the All-Star Game, was 0 for 3 to end his 13-game hitting streak. That had matched his career best, set in 2016 with Texas.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: Manager Mike Shildt said 2B Xander Bogaerts (left shoulder fracture) had favorable reports about his latest CT scan and is close to starting a rehab assignment. Bogaerts got hurt May 20 when diving for a ball when playing the field. … C Luis Campusano (left thumb bruise) was set to catch for Class A Lake Elsinore after being the designated hitter Monday in his first rehab game.
Rangers: SS Corey Seager was out of the lineup for the second game in a row since getting hit by a pitch on his left wrist Saturday. … RHP Tyler Mahle pitched two scoreless innings for Triple-A Round Rock in his first rehab start since Tommy John surgery in May 2023. He threw 12 of his 19 pitches for strikes against Sugar Land.
UP NEXT
Rangers right-hander Jon Gray (3-4, 3.77 ERA) has 12 career wins against the Padres, his most against any team. Right-hander Adam Mazur (1-2, 7.25) makes his sixth career start for San Diego.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
