García snaps slump and Eovaldi strikes out 10 as Rangers win 4th in a row, 10-2 over White Sox

AP Baseball Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García snapped out of a long slump with three hits while accounting for the tying and go-ahead runs, Nathan Eovaldi struck out 10 without any walks in seven innings and the Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 10-2 on Wednesday night for their fourth win in a row.

Corey Seager had a solo homer among his four hits for the reigning World Series champion Rangers (50-52), who have won 11 of 15 to move within three games of AL West-leading Houston. Robbie Grossman and Nathaniel Lowe also went deep, while Josh Smith added an RBI single and sacrifice fly.

“Right on time,” Lowe said. “Corey had mentioned it in spring training that after after the championship season, April’s pretty hard. We didn’t really play great in May or June, and now here we are, three games back with the (trade) deadline in a week. And I think we’re poised to make a pretty strong run.”

The White Sox (27-77) lost their 10th game in a row to fall 50 games under .500 for the first time since finishing 56-106 in 1970. They are the first team since the expansion Mets in 1962 to lose 77 of their first 104 games — and New York that year went on to lose 120 games, the most in the modern era.

“It has been very hard for everybody, players and coaches as well,” Luis Robert Jr. said through a translator. “This is something that nobody wants to pass through but unfortunately it’s where we’re at.”

Seager led off the fifth with a double, and scored to tie the game at 2-2 when García had a hustling two-out double to chase White Sox starter Chris Flexen (2-10). Lowe followed with an RBI single.

García was 2 for 26 in his previous seven games, and hitting .133 (8 for 60) in July. He added a second RBI when he beat out a fielder’s choice grounder in a six-run eighth inning that Lowe capped with a three-run homer.

“Your core guys, you need them to swing the bat like they can. And tonight was a great sign,” manager Bruce Bochy said.

Robert put Chicago up 2-1 with his 12th homer, a liner with a 113-mph exit velocity that just cleared the wall down the left-field line with one out in the third.

Eovaldi (7-5) retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced after that in his first 10-strikeout game this season. It was his fifth consecutive start without a walk — now 141 consecutive batters faced since June 26 without giving up a free pass.

“It’s just challenging the hitters,” Eovaldi said. “That second inning I fell behind 3-0 and we had just taken the lead and it’s frustrating for me. I’ve got to try to attack as much as possible.”

Seager’s 19th homer put Texas up 1-0 in the first. It was his first at-bat since the end of his 22-game on-base streak after striking out as a pinch-hitter Tuesday night.

Flexen is 0-7 over his last 14 starts, all White Sox losses. The right-hander struck out three, walked two and allowed seven hits over 4 2/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: 3B Josh Jung (right wrist fracture) took live BP, ran bases and is set to start another rehab assignment Friday with Double-A Frisco. He broke his wrist when hit by a pitch April 1 in the fourth game of the season. He experienced inflammation in his wrist after four rehab games in June.

UP NEXT

The four-game series finale is Thursday when three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (1-3, 3.99 ERA) has a chance to move into MLB’s top 10 for career strikeouts. The right-hander’s 3,391 have him two shy of matching Justin Verlander for 10th. RHP Jonathan Cannon (1-4, 4.58) starts for the White Sox.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb