Surging Rangers turn to Nathan Eovaldi against Astros

The Texas Rangers will look to build on their season-best winning streak when they host the Houston Astros on Friday in the second of a four-game American League West series in Arlington, Texas.

The Astros will send right hander Lance McCullers Jr. (0-1, 15.75 ERA) to the mound to start the contest while right hander Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 1.78) will take the ball in the first inning for Texas.

The Rangers took the first game of the set on Thursday, winning 1-0 behind Jake Burger's solo home run and eight scoreless innings by Jacob deGrom, who outdueled Houston's Hunter Brown. Texas has won six straight games, with its pitching allowing only nine total runs in the streak.

Eovaldi has been spectacular as the Rangers' co-ace, winning his past two games while allowing just one run and seven hits in 13 innings. He's given up just two total runs over his past four starts, earning three victories and a no-decision.

deGrom, Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle, who is fourth in the AL with a 1.47 ERA, have excelled at the top of the Rangers' rotation.

"I like the way we're making each other better," Eovaldi said about the Texas rotation. "Everybody in the room wants to be the best. We are going out and attacking the zone and going six or seven really strong innings. We want to give the team an opportunity to win. Everybody's really confident and it doesn't matter what team we face."

Eovaldi is 3-5 with a 4.36 ERA in 12 lifetime starts against Houston. He's pitched 66 innings, allowing 37 runs (32 earned) on 71 hits and 21 walks while fanning 55.

McCullers will be on the mound for just the third time since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. Extensive right arm surgery kept him out for 915 days.

His first start was against the White Sox in Chicago on May 4 and resulted in a 3 2/3 inning no-decision. Then he got roughed up on May 10 at home against Cincinnati, allowing seven runs in 1/3 of an inning in a game the Astros lost 13-9.

McCullers' final stats for the loss against the Reds included three hits, three walks, a hit by pitch and no strikeouts. After that game, McCullers reported that he and his family had received death threats on social media.

"There are people who are threatening (McCullers') life and the life of his kids because of his performance," Astros coach Joe Espada said the following afternoon. "Listen, he hasn't pitched in 2 1/2 years. It's going to take a little bit of time to get him going. And that's fine. But this can't happen. I'm really upset that this can happen to athletes."

It remains to be seen how the blowback from that crazy situation will affect McCullers on Friday. He has faced the Rangers 12 times in his career, forging a 1-4 mark with a 3.75 ERA in 60 innings of work. McCullers has allowed 28 runs, 25 of them earned, on 57 hits and 23 walks while striking out 84.