Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will not take the mound Saturday as planned after being scratched from his scheduled start against the visiting San Diego Padres. The reason: left knee soreness.
Stepping in to fill the role is left-hander MacKenzie Gore, who will start the second game of the three-game series at Arlington, Texas. Gore is coming off a Monday outing against the Minnesota Twins, meaning he will be pitching on a standard rest schedule.
The 27-year-old Gore carries a 4-6 record and a 4.27 ERA through 15 starts this season. He sits 13th in the American League with 86 strikeouts. Facing the Padres carries a bit of extra meaning for Gore — San Diego was the team that selected him with the third overall pick in the 2017 June amateur draft. In five career starts against his former franchise, he holds a 1-3 record and a 7.04 ERA.
Eovaldi, 36, had been having a solid season before the injury, posting a 6-7 record and a 4.23 ERA over 14 appearances.
On the other side, San Diego will send 31-year-old right-hander Walker Buehler to the hill. Buehler enters Saturday’s contest with a 4-3 record and a 4.14 ERA and will be making his 15th start of the year. Against Texas specifically, he has gone 1-2 with a 3.72 ERA across four career starts.
