The Texas Rangers have survived a relative lack of offense against the New York Yankees because of the way their pitchers have performed.
The Rangers will seek their third straight win Sunday when they host the Yankees in the finale of a four-game series in Arlington, Texas.
Texas has nine runs in this series but earned wins in the past two games after opening the series with a 4-2 loss on Thursday. After evening the set with a 5-2 win Friday, the Rangers needed just 2 hours, 6 minutes to finish off a 2-0 win on Saturday.
The Rangers earned their second straight win following a season-high four-game losing streak thanks to Nathan Eovaldi and former Yankee prospect Ezequiel Duran. Eovaldi retired the final 15 hitters and tossed a 113-pitch three-hitter while Duran hit a two-run homer.
“I think it’s just being able to use all of my pitches at all times,” Eovaldi said. “I was able to get some outs with my slider tonight, which I usually never … I usually hang that pitch, and they end up hitting it.”
New York hopes to avoid its second three-game losing streak of the season. Its other three-game skid occurred last week when it dropped the series finale at home to the Toronto Blue Jays and lost the first two games to the Minnesota Twins.
Those losses are part of a stretch of five losses in the last seven games. The Yankees mustered singles by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Anthony Rizzo and Willie Calhoun on Saturday and were blanked for the first time this season.
The Yankees were without Aaron Judge for the second straight game due to a hip strain. He will miss the series finale. Judge exited in the fourth inning Thursday, and the team will wait until returning home Monday before deciding if the slugger needs a stint on the injured list.
“We’re going to wait to see (Saturday and Sunday) and see how we’re doing, to see if this is something we want to take a 10-day (IL stint), or if he is ready to play by Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. “It will be something that we just kind of pay attention to here.”
Texas left-hander Martin Perez (3-1, 2.60 ERA) will get the call Sunday. He has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his first five starts, including Tuesday in Cincinnati in which he allowed an unearned run in 6 1/3 innings before the Rangers squandered a six-run lead.
In 14 career appearances (11 starts) against the Yankees, Perez is 2-5 with a 5.80 ERA. He last pitched against New York on Oct. 3 when he allowed one run on five hits in six innings of a 3-1 home loss.
New York will counter on Sunday with left-hander Nestor Cortes (3-1, 3.49), who has allowed three earned runs or less in his past 17 starts. Cortes hopes to rebound from his first loss after allowing four runs (three earned) and five hits in five innings in a 6-2 defeat at Minnesota on Tuesday.
Cortes does not own a decision and has a 5.40 ERA in five career appearances (two starts) against Texas. He last faced the Rangers in New York on May 9 when he came within five outs of a no-hitter and struck out 11 in 7 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
