Nathan Eovaldi at his best helps Rangers beat Mariners, expand lead in AL West
· Yahoo Sports
ARLINGTON — In the top of the first, Nathan Eovaldi was ready to set the tone early.
The right-handed starter fired an 88.9 mph splitter to his third opponent of the night, Mariners right fielder Dominic Canzone. The left-handed batter swung at the ball as it continued slithering inside his airspace. Canzone struck out, and Eovaldi retired Seattle’s first three batters Saturday night.
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That momentum continued as Eovaldi allowed just three hits, with eight strikeouts in seven innings, tying the least amount of hits he’s allowed all season.
Great pitching coupled with relentless batting from the top of the order gave Texas steady control early in the game, leading to a 7-1 win over the Mariners on Saturday night.
Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford gets congratulated by manager Skip Schumaker after scoring a run during a MLB game against the Seattle Mariners played at Globe Life Field, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Arlington. (Steve Nurenberg/The Dallas Morning News)RELATED:Rangers' identity is changing behind Wyatt Langford. Saturday's win was perfect example
“He crowded the lefties, he threw strikes against the lefties, and it really opened up the splitter,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said of Eovaldi. “[That was] one of the best games I’ve seen Evo pitch this year.”
Eovaldi’s off-speed pitches worked early and often. He recorded five strikeouts in the first three innings, three of which came via the splitter. That opened up the rest of his breaking balls later in the contest.
“I thought my splitter was there from the beginning of the game,” Eovaldi said. “I feel like that has always been a good recipe for success for me. I felt like I was searching for the curveball for the majority of the game. I thought in the sixth and seventh innings, I was able to finally find it and, you know, get some outs and strikeouts.”
The top of the lineup gave the Rangers all the offense they needed. Led by Wyatt Langford and Joc Pederson, Texas tacked on five runs in the first two innings against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. Eovaldi improved to 10-8 on the season, and his ERA dropped from 4.21 to 4.05.
Eovaldi’s win Saturday made him the first Rangers pitcher to earn 10 or more wins in four consecutive seasons since Rick Helling in 2001. More importantly, the win put the Rangers up 2-0 in their weekend series against the division-rival Mariners.
Texas stretched its lead in the AL West to two games.
“It makes me hungry for more. We got the first two,” Eovaldi said. “It’s important to win the series. You don’t want to just split it, and I think right now we’ve got the momentum in our favor.”
Texas went deep into its bullpen Friday, using five relievers over four innings, including 2026 All-Star Jacob Latz, to secure a 5-4 win.
Saturday night’s straightforward victory meant Schumaker could limit the number of arms used with two more games left in the pivotal series.
“I was able to go deep into the game and save the bullpen,” Eovaldi said. “I thought our defense was incredible tonight. We made some really good plays, and then it just kind of unfolded that way, and we were able to come out with the win.”
Eovaldi has been a consistent performer, winning five of his last seven starts with just one defeat: the Rangers’ 8-5 loss in Atlanta last Sunday.
In that game, however, he was battling an illness, and Schumaker was surprised he was able to compete at such a high level Saturday while still recovering.
“It took him a long time to feel good again, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he’s going about it,” Schumaker said. “He never gives you an excuse. He’s the leader on that staff for a reason.”