With or without torpedo bats, the Cincinnati Reds couldn't get good contact on Texas Rangers' starter Nathan Eovaldi all night long.
One night after the Reds exploded for 14 runs in routing the Rangers, Eovaldi quieted things down on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park. The first four innings he pitched were perfect, and he at one point struck out five batters in a row.
The Reds managed only singles, and just four of them, against Eovaldi in an eventual 1-0 loss to the Rangers. Wyatt Langford's first-inning solo home run proved to be the decisive blow offensively for Texas. Eovaldi did the rest as he went the distance for the four-hit shutout.
The Reds fell to 2-3 on the year. The Rangers improved to 4-2. A crowd of 14,852 attended. The clubs will meet again Wednesday at Great American Ball Park (12:40 p.m.) to close out the series. The game also marks the end of Cincinnati's six-game homestand to start 2025.
Carson Spiers, the Reds' No. 5 starter in their rotation, had a fine outing spoiled. After allowing the Langford home run and a Joc Pederson double immediately after that, just four of the batters he faced the rest of his night reached base.
In the end, Spiers went six innings. He allowed one run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts on 85 pitches.
The Reds put two scares into Eovaldi, and the first of those came in the seventh inning. The heart of the Reds order threatened to drive Matt McLain in as the tying run. But after McLain reached on a single, Eovaldi got Elly De La Cruz and Gavin Lux to ground out as McLain moved up to third base. Then, Jeimer Candelario popped out to shallow left field, ending the threat.
In the ninth as Eovaldi looked to to preserve his complete game, pinch hitter Jacob Hurtubise reached on a single. T.J. Friedl's unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempt saw Hurtubise thrown out at second base, but Friedl reached on the fielder's choice to bring De La Cruz up with a chance to walk the Rangers off.
He didn't walk , though. De La Cruz grounded out to end the game.
The Enquirer will update this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi out-duels Reds' Carson Spiers
