Nathaniel Lowe clouted a pair of two-run homers Tuesday night and Nathan Eovaldi allowed only one hit over seven shutout innings as the Texas Rangers blanked the San Diego Padres 7-0 in Arlington, Texas.
Eovaldi (5-3) struck out six and walked none, facing just one batter over the minimum during his 92-pitch stint. Bryce Johnson looped a single into right field with two outs in the third before Eovaldi set down the last 13 hitters he faced.
Jonathan Hernandez tossed the final two innings to complete Texas’ two-hit shutout.
Dylan Cease (7-7) was pounded for eight hits and six runs in 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Texas earned a second consecutive win after dropping six in a row. San Diego took its second straight loss after winning nine of the previous 10.
The Rangers scored in each of the first four innings and five of the first six, with Lowe leading the charge. He gave produced a 2-0 lead one out into the first inning, lining a two-run homer to right with Josh Smith aboard after a single.
The Rangers upped their advantage to 3-0 in the second. Jonah Heim led off with a double and trotted home one out later as Leody Taveras ripped a double to the right-center-field wall.
Lowe struck again in the third. After Smith coaxed a leadoff walk, Lowe got a 3-1 pitch to his liking and laced it an estimated 383 feet to left-center field for his sixth homer of the year.
It became 6-0 in the fourth when Taveras led off with his second double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jonathan Ornelas and scored on Marcus Semien’s looping single in front of left fielder Jurickson Profar.
Texas capped the scoring in the sixth against reliever Austin Davis when Taveras walked and hoofed it home from first on Ornelas’ double to left, his first major league RBI.
Lowe and Taveras each finished with two hits and two runs for the Rangers, who had 10 hits. Everyone in the Texas lineup except for designated hitter Derek Hill picked up a hit.
–Field Level Media
