Nathan Eovaldi worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth inning of the ALCS with smart pitch sequencing and command. Michael Brantley got things started for Houston with a single, followed by another hit up the middle that put two on with no outs. Jeremy Peña reached base with a grounder the third baseman couldn’t handle, loading the bases and putting Texas in a tight spot. That’s when Eovaldi locked in.
He started mixing speeds and locations to keep hitters guessing. Against the first batter, he went cutter away, fastball in, then back outside with a splitter and a heater. He doubled up on fastballs, then dropped in a breaking ball for strike three. Against Altuve, he opened with a slow curveball inside for strike one, then followed it with a high fastball that got fouled back. Ahead 0-2, Eovaldi set him up with high heat before pulling the string on a nasty splitter that dropped off the table, freezing Altuve for another strikeout.
With two outs, Alex Bregman stepped in, but Eovaldi stayed aggressive. He went fastball in, then fastball away. Bregman grounded out to third to end the inning. Eovaldi showed why his mix of pitches—especially how his fastball and splitter look so similar before diverging—makes him tough to square up. He escaped without allowing a run, and the Rangers kept control of the game.