Quality Eovaldi, Historic Robertson, And Big Inning Enough For Texas Rangers Against Cleveland Guardians

The Texas Rangers scored four times in the second and Nathan Eovaldi notched his team-leading 12th quality start against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

Aug 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Daniel Schneemann (10) steals second as Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (5) makes the tag during the fifth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers opened their six-game road trip with a 5-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians Friday night.

Texas scored four runs in the second, including two on Corey Seager's two-out double to right. Cleveland crept back into with a run each in the second, third and fourth innings to pull within 4-3.

The Rangers tacked on a run to make it 5-3 in the seventh when Josh Smith singled with two outs and Adolis García' scored him with an RBI double.

Andrew Chafin and David Robertson pitched scoreless innings of relief and Kirby Yates pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 23rd save.

Split the gap. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/pVWR79FofC

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) August 24, 2024

Three thoughts from Friday's game:

1. Quality Eovaldi

Jun 15, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17), right, greets shortstop Corey Seager (5) in the dugout before a game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Nathan Eovaldi recorded his team-high 12th quality start after holding Cleveland to three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings. Eovaldi's 106 pitches are a season high. He's thrown more than 100 pitches in consecutive starts for the first time in 2024. It's the most pitches he's thrown in a game since he threw 113 against Oakland over 8 2/3 innings on May 11, 2023.

2. Historic Strikeout For David Robertson

Jun 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher David Robertson (37) reacts after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50), designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) and first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Right-hander David Robertson struck out two batters in the eighth to tie former New York Yankees teammate and Hall of Famer Mariana Rivera for 12th all-time with 1,135 career strikeouts as a reliever.
Here's a look at the all-time reliever strikeout leaders:

1. Hoyt Wilhelm, 1,363
2. Rich Gossage, 1,340
3. Craig Kimbrel, 1,256
4. Aroldis Chapman, 1,227
5. Lee Smith, 1,225
6. Kenley Jansen, 1,212
7. Billy Wagner, 1,196
8. Rollie Fingers, 1,183
9. Jesse Orosco, 1,169
10. Lindy McDaniel, 1,165
11. Francisco Rodríguez, 1,142
T12. David Robertson, 1,135
T12. Mariano Rivera, 1,135

3. Up Next

Jun 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jon Gray (22) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Right-hander Jon Gray (5-4, 3.75) faces right-hander Ben Lively (10-8, 3.68) in Game 2 at 6:10 p.m. Saturday.

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on X @StefanVersusTex.

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