ARLINGTON — Behind a crisp outing from Nathan Eovaldi and a timely swing from Josh Jung, the Texas Rangers avoided a sweep with a 3-0 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday afternoon at Globe Life Field.
The victory snapped a three-game skid for Texas and secured its third shutout of the season. It also closed a demanding nine-game homestand at 4-5, a stretch that featured a steady diet of contenders — 16 of the last 19 games have come against clubs above .500, including 13 against division leaders. Texas heads into an off day Thursday before opening a six-game road trip Friday in Detroit.
Eovaldi set the tone early and never wavered. The right-hander spun seven scoreless innings, striking out seven while navigating traffic with the help of two double plays. He worked efficiently through the Yankees lineup, including a pair of strikeouts of Aaron Judge, and pushed his pitch count to a season-high 102. The outing marked his second scoreless start of the year and continued a strong track record against New York since joining Texas.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth, when Jung delivered the breakthrough. With the bases loaded, the third baseman lined a two-run single that chased Yankees starter Elmer Rodríguez from his Major League debut. Jung has been one of the league’s hottest hitters in April, extending his hitting streak to nine games and finishing the month among the American League leaders in multiple offensive categories.
Texas added breathing room in the seventh when Sam Haggerty, who entered earlier as a pinch runner, punched an RBI single for his first run driven in of the season.
Rookie Alejandro Osuna continued to make an impression, reaching base twice and maintaining a torrid start since his recent call-up.
On the other side, Rodríguez showed flashes in his debut, opening with four scoreless innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He finished with two earned runs allowed over four-plus frames.
The Yankees, despite the loss, wrapped up a strong 7-2 road trip and have surged in recent weeks. However, they were held without an extra-base hit Wednesday and managed just seven runs across the three-game set.
Jacob Latz sealed the win with a two-inning save, while Ezequiel Durán contributed a multi-hit effort atop the Texas lineup.
Both clubs dealt with injury concerns late in the game. Texas outfielder Brandon Nimmo exited with right hamstring tightness, while Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez left after taking a pitch off the elbow and will undergo further evaluation.
For the Rangers, the formula was simple: strong pitching, timely hitting, and just enough offense to halt a slide — at least for a day.
