WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings, Jake Burger homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Texas Rangers snapped the Athletics’ five-game winning streak with an 8-1 victory Monday night.
Eovaldi (2-2), who entered with a 7.98 ERA through his first three starts, gave up three singles, walked two and struck out seven. He threw 53 of his 84 pitches for strikes in the opener of a four-game series.
Luis Curvelo allowed a run in two innings to close it out.
Evan Carter and Corey Seager drew one-out walks from Luis Severino (0-2) in the first inning and Burger followed with his third home run for a 3-0 lead.
Burger notched his eighth multi-homer game with an opposite-field shot to right leading off the third to make it 4-0.
Josh Smith had a two-run single and Josh Jung added a two-run double off Jack Perkins in the eighth. Joc Pederson had three of the Rangers’ 11 hits.
Lawrence Butler robbed Seager of a home run to right in the fifth before hitting his second homer in the eighth off Curvelo to prevent a shutout.
Severino left after six innings. He gave up four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Athletics third baseman Max Muncy left after being hit on the hand by a pitch from Eovaldi in the fifth.
The Athletics were coming off a 5-1 trip to New York, winning their final two games against the Yankees before sweeping the Mets.
Up next
Rangers LHP Mackenzie Gore (2-0, 2.76 ERA) starts Tuesday opposite Athletics LHP Jeffrey Springs (2-0, 1.47).
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