Corey Seager had a career day by going 5-for-5, including a two-run home run, and the Texas Rangers went on to an 8-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Nathan Eovaldi earned the win despite seeing his scoreless innings streak end.
The Rays saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end, while the Rangers have now won 15 of their last 20.
The Rangers jumped out to a 6-0 lead by scoring three runs in both the second and fourth innings. Seager played a key role in both innings, driving in two runs with a double in the second and two more with a home run in the fourth.
The Rays pulled starter Taj Bradley just before Seager’s at-bat in the fourth, but the pitching change didn’t pay off as Seager turned on a first-pitch fastball from Rays left-hander Jalen Beeks.
Seager had singles in the first, sixth and eighth innings. He scored in the sixth on a two-out double by Adolis Garcia as the Rangers got some much-needed cushion late.
The Rays rallied back with a four-run fourth, highlighted by a three-run homer by Francisco Mejia, who sent a 1-0 cutter from Eovaldi into the right field seats.
Eovaldi’s scoreless innings streak ended at 20 1/3 innings. In his previous seven starts combined, Eovaldi allowed four runs total.
Eovaldi (9-2) rebounded with scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, as well as recording the first out of the seventh, to earn the victory. He allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.
Eovaldi exited the seventh with two runners on. Rangers reliever Josh Sborz inherited those runners and eventually found himself facing a bases-loaded, two-out situation. With the Rays having the potential game-tying run at the plate, Sborz ended the threat by inducing a groundout by Isaac Paredes.
Sborz struck out the side in the eighth, and Will Smith closed it out with a scoreless ninth.
Bradley (4-3) took the loss after his shortest outing of the season, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
