Nathan Eovaldi Has a 0.69 ERA Against Them, And the Angels Still Can't Win Two Straight

Alright, Seattle, listen up, because even when it's not our M's, baseball is still wild! The Angels, man, what a rollercoaster. Friday night, they actually went off, smashing four dingers and putting up their best offensive numbers in almost a month to take down the Rangers. You gotta love seeing the long ball! But now, the real question that's been haunting them all season: can they actually win *two games in a row*? Because that's been tougher than finding parking around Climate Pledge Arena for them, something they haven't done since early May. And to make it even harder, guess who's on the bump for Texas tonight? None other than Nathan Eovaldi, a guy who seems to practically own them.

Eovaldi's Been Straight Up Dominant

Let's talk about Eovaldi for a second. This dude is a problem, a real ace. He's rocking a 5-4 record with a 3.62 ERA, but that doesn't even tell the whole story. Get this: he's allowed just ONE single run over his last 22 innings, winning three straight starts! He just bounced back from some left side tightness to throw seven shutout innings against Houston, striking out eight, walking only two, and making batters look silly with 19 swings-and-misses, 13 of those on his splitter alone! "I felt good," Eovaldi said after that gem. "I thought I had a good game plan coming in. The curveball was good, the splitter was really good, and the sinker as well. It was just trying to attack the zone, not fall behind a lot of guys." And against the Angels specifically? The 36-year-old veteran is 7-3 with a 3.04 ERA in 16 career appearances. Last season, he was virtually unhittable, going 2-0 with an insane 0.69 ERA in two starts, giving up just one earned run over 13 innings. How do you hit that?

Meckler's Fairytale Debut Can't Mask the Struggle

The Angels' offense actually showed some life on Friday, which is saying something for a team that's been 7-24 over their last 31 games. They put up six runs and two homers in just three innings against a two-time Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom. They dropped nine runs total, their first time hitting that mark since April 26! Zach Neto was electric, crushing two homers, including a leadoff shot off deGrom's very first pitch. That was his 12th career leadoff homer, tying a team record. But the real storybook moment belonged to rookie Wade Meckler. This Anaheim native, who grew up going to Angels games and idolizing Mike Trout, got his first start playing center field right next to his hero. And in his *first at-bat* as an Angel, the 26-year-old absolutely crushed a 403-foot, three-run blast for his first major league homer, with his parents watching from the stands! He even made a highlight-reel backhanded catch earlier. "Pretty surreal moment," Meckler said. "I grew up coming to games here. Probably have been to 50 or 60 games growing up. It's cool to do that in your first at-bat here." Angels manager Kurt Suzuki summed it up perfectly: "Neto leading that inning off with a homer and then Meckler coming in with the three-run (homer) really set the tone for the game."

Can Urena Stop the Slide and Get a Streak Going?

So, for the Halos to finally break this "can't win two games in a row" curse, they're handing the ball to rookie right-hander Walbert Urena. He's got a 1-4 record, but his 2.70 ERA is pretty solid, and he's been fantastic lately, boasting a 1.64 ERA over his last four starts. He just tossed six shutout innings in his most recent outing, helping the Angels grab a 2-1 win over the Athletics. This will be his first time facing the Rangers, so it's a huge test for the kid against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. Can Urena continue his personal hot streak and actually get this team some momentum, or will Eovaldi shut the door on their dreams of two wins in a row, something they haven't done since May 5-6? Saturday night, it's Eovaldi vs. Urena. A veteran ace on a roll against a hot rookie. Can the Angels build any kind of winning rhythm? We'll be watching! And hey, speaking of wins, how about our M's shutting out Kansas City 2-0 last night?! Love to see it! Get ready for more baseball, Emerald City!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.