ARLINGTON — Big news: The Rangers' starting rotation may have finally found their identity this homestand.
Next, and potentially bigger news, did they lose a top starter in the process?
Everything went well at Globe Life Field on Thursday afternoon, leading to a 6-0 series victory over Washington.
The starting pitcher once again attacked the strike zone and didn't give out any walks like the promotional bobbleheads.
Just 12 hours after he failed to do anything with two chances with the bases loaded with no outs, the bottom of the Rangers' batting lineup broke through with an RBI in his first two at-bats.
The 5,000 children who attended Weather Day fully understood that they could not open the roof when the humidity was so high.
And since it was a weather day, metaphorical lightning struck. As he threw his first pitch to Luis Garcia Jr. with one out in the sixth inning, Nathan Eovaldi felt something in his right groin. After he finished his pitch, he jumped up and walked off the mound, trying to get his spirits up.
And by that time, athletic trainer Matt Lucero had passed pitching coach Mike Maddux and manager Bruce Bochy to the mound. They didn't even allow Eovaldi to try to throw a warm-up pitch or two to test things out.
He's too valuable for an already thin rotation.
“We were cautious,” Bochy said afterward. “You tightened up a little. There was no point in pushing it. You'll get a better answer. [Friday]. Given what we're talking about here, yeah, maybe he needs a break. We'll see that from now on. We're going to take care of him and do the right thing. ”
Given Eovaldi's history, this almost certainly means he will be placed on injured reserve. Eovaldi has appeared on the IL nine times in his career since 2016, at least once a year with the exception of 2021. Most of those IL appearances involved his shoulder and elbow. He missed two weeks in 2020 with a calf issue.
Eovaldi is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam Friday in Kansas City, where the Rangers are scheduled to begin a 10-game road trip. He is tentatively scheduled to pitch again Tuesday in Oakland. But for the 34-year-old Eovaldi, it might be wiser for him to miss two starts now rather than continue pitching and miss longer.
“Earlier this year,” Eovaldi said. “So we have to approach it carefully and see how it feels.” [Friday]. When you're competing and the adrenaline is pumping, you never know how you're going to feel over time. ”
Rangers are in a delicate position. They already had a thin rotation and needed an extra starter with a doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday in Oakland. Now he might need two. Jack Leiter, who pitched Thursday at Triple-A Round Rock, is almost certainly a candidate as well. If Leiter is able to fill Eovaldi's position on Tuesday, or if Eovaldi is OK, Leiter could potentially fill in as the Rangers' second starter in the doubleheader.
If Eovaldi needs time, the Rangers will either have to rely on Owen White, the only healthy starter on the 40-man roster, or pitch games out of the bullpen. White made two relief appearances in the major leagues last year, but seemed to regress over the past two years. White, 24, got off to his best start of the season Wednesday at Round Rock, giving up two runs in six innings. He appeared in two games in the majors last year, but was not a starter.
The Rangers have been hit by injuries this year, giving many opportunities to freshmen, with the most notable success story being reliever Cole Wynn. Wynn, who was sent out early in spring training when it became clear he would not compete for a major league job along with White, was a surprise find in the bullpen.
General manager Chris Young acknowledged this week that sometimes a promotion to the major leagues is enough to motivate a player. For example, when Wynn moved from Triple-A to the major leagues, his ball speed jumped to more than 2 mph.
“Advanced environments can bring out the best in people,” Young said earlier in the week after Wynn's surprising start.
If Leiter and White, or whoever the Rangers have to rely on, just follow the guidance of the current members of the rotation, they should be perfectly fine. It's funny what happens when you don't walk people.
When the Rangers started their homestand, the rotation's walk rate was 11%, the fourth-worst in the majors. During the homestand, he walked just 11 batters in 52.1 innings. Homestand walk rate: 5.4%. We are much closer to the situation last year when we couldn't beat ourselves.
“We are accountable to each other,” Eovaldi said. “We know what's going on. There was never a moment where we said, 'We have to deal with this.' But we know what's going on. Just making sure we attack and stay ahead of the curve. It seems like the starting lineup is starting to find its groove. ”
Bochy said: Batters are on a skid. Pitchers can also go off the rails a little sometimes. That's all. They will come back and be their true selves. ”
They found themselves. Let's just hope they didn't lose Eovaldi in the process.
twitter: @Evan_P_Grant
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