The Rangers have two losses. Both belong to Nathan Eovaldi. Yes, both games were against the other team’s ace, but Eovalid was not ace-like in either. 

Yesterday, the ace he went up against was Baltimore’s Trevor Rogers, who tossed up a 1.81 ERA last year in eighteen starts, slightly higher than Eovaldi’s 1.73 in twenty-two.

What a difference a year makes for Eovaldi. Last season, he gave up a dozen earned runs in his first twelve starts. This year, it took just two. 

He hasn’t found his groove yet, sporting a Scheppersesque 11.42 ERA. The main culprit is the homerun ball. The thirty-six-year-old veteran has coughed up three home runs already. 

It’s a long season. Two starts will not define it. And Eovaldi has been pitching a long time. He’ll figure it out. 

Either that, or he’ll go on the I.L. with an arm issue and we’ll learn he was pitching hurt. He’s had a few of those as well.

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