What is that? Two things — a complete game and a complete game shutout.
The Cincinnati Reds felt that rare cold sting Tuesday night in Great American Ball Park.
Nathan Eovaldi, a 35-year-old veteran, pitched a suspenseful 1-0 victory for the Texas Rangers, hog-tying the Reds on four singles.
And he needed just that because his opponent, Carson Spiers, was just as stingy, giving up one run on three hits over six innings.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
One pitch beat him and it came with two outs in the first inning, a home run by Texas left fielder Wyatt Langford.
Eovaldi, though, pitched four perfect innings before Gavin Lux singled to open the fifth. In those four innings, only one ball reached the outfield.
TJ Friedl lined to center to open the Reds’ first, then Eovaldi didn’t permit a ball out of the infield, six ground balls and five strikeouts.
For the game, the Reds beat Mother Earth into submission, 14 ground balls. And Eovaldi mixed in eight strikeouts during his 99-pitch, 70-strike performance.
He is the first starting pitcher in both leagues to pitch more than seven innings in this neophyte season.
“This early in the season to go the distance... he never fell into a pattern,” said Reds manager Terry Francona, speaking about Eovaldi. “He used all his pitches. He had everything working and never got into a pattern.”
Spiers for now is Cincinnati’s number five starter, a temporary stand-in for Andrew Abbott. But he pitched like a number one.
“He’s maturing right before our eyes and it is fun to watch,” said Francona. “He did a really good job. On the home run he was trying to go up and in, but it went down and in. It was even a little off the plate, but it wasn’t the location he was looking for.
“Shoot, man, he gave us six innings and one run, we’ll take it,” Francona added. “And he is very excited for what he can do from here.”
Said Spiers of Langford’s home run, “I threw a two-seam (fastball) and he put a pretty good swing on it. It was a fine pitch that I wish was a little more elevated but I’m fine with it.”
Langford provided the elevation.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Of his status as a fill-in, Francona said, “There is a reason we wanted him to pitch. He’s been doing pretty good (in spring training).”
Reds starters all have been competitive, keeping the team all five games, even though the Reds are 2-3.
“We’re all right and I’ll take that start any day of the week,” said Spiers. “I love the saying, ‘A rising tide will raise all boats.’
“We all like to compete against each other. When one guy goes out and pitches good, we all like to stack up a better outing on top of that,” he added.
“Brady Singer threw a gem Monday and my goal today was to one-up him.”
And he almost one-upped Singer’s one-hitter over seven innings during the Reds’ 14-3 win over Texas.
The difference was that Singer had six runs of support the first two innings. Speirs received nothing.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
That is what was so amazing about Eovaldi. He had to protect that one-run lead with guard dog ferocity.
After Lux broke up the perfect game with a leadoff single in the fifth, Jeimer Candelario struck out and Santiago Espinal hit into a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play.
Austin Wynns singled with two outs in the sixth, but TJ Friedl struck out.
Matt McLain singled to open the seventh, took second on a grounder to second by Elly De La Cruz, took third on Lux’s grounder to second and remained there when Candelario lobbed a weak fly ball to center.
Eovaldi pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, but the Reds threatened in the ninth, their best opportunity.
Pinch-hitter Jacob Hurtubise singled to start the ninth. Friedl tried to bunt for a hit, but topped it in front of the plate and catcher Kyle Higashioka threw Hurtubise out at second.
The tying run remained on first with one out with Cincinnati’s two most lethal weapons dead ahead in McLain and De La Cruz.
And Friedl bolted to second on a wild pitch, putting him in scoring position.
McLain flied out to center and it was up to De La Cruz for some heroics after his four-hit, two-homer, seven RBIs day on Monday.
On a 1-and-2 pitch, De La Cruz was Eovaldi’s 14th ground ball victim, a roller to second base, completing an 0 for 4 night during which he grounded out all four times.
And he had an army of company.
About the Author