In the rubber match of the series, and the final game of what has proven to be a difficult road trip, the Atlanta Braves sent their ace Spencer Strider to the bump. The Rangers also sent out their ace, in Nathan Eovaldi, who has stepped up in the absence of Jacob Degrom. In his last three starts before tonight, Eovaldi has gone at least eight innings and hasn’t given up a run.
In the first inning, the matchup went as expected with both starters putting together 1-2-3 innings while not throwing many pitches. One surprise was that Strider did not get a strike out in the first inning, which according to the broadcast was the first time that has happened in his first 29 starts.