The Rangers were cruising until they weren’t. Nathan Eovaldi held the Astros scoreless through his 5 2⁄3 innings, allowing only a pair of hits while striking out five. He also walked three, and it was his last walk of the game to Christian Walker in the sixth inning that set the stage for the rest of the game.
With Walker at first base and two outs, and Eovaldi at 93 pitches, Bruce Bochy chose to bring in lefty Hoby Milner to face the switch-hitting Victor Caratini. Although it is relatively a coin flip between Caratini as a left- or right-handed hitter, he historically strikes out less and hits for a bit more power from the left side of the plate.