ARLINGTON, Texas -- Bruce Bochy smiled on Sunday morning when a reporter asked how far he could push Texas Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi in his third start back from the injured list.
"About 130 pitches," he cracked.
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Bochy never has been afraid to go deep with his best starters, but he didn't need even 100 pitches from Eovaldi on Sunday. The Rangers hung five runs on Keaton Winn early and cruised to a 7-2 victory, keeping the Giants from a winning trip and a sweep.
The Giants finished with a 3-3 road trip against last season's World Series participants. They're two games under .500 as they head home to face Texas' other team, the Houston Astros.
Winn's first big league pitch since May 14 drilled Marcus Semien on the bill of his helmet. By his ninth pitch, he had loaded the bases, but he seemed back on track when he struck out the next two. Wyatt Langford made him pay for the early wildness, smacking a fastball up the middle to drive in a pair.
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The athletic rookie immediately took off for second and reached ahead of the throw from Patrick Bailey. As Brett Wisely caught the ball, Adolis Garcia broke for home, and he slid in safely ahead of the return throw. It was the third steal of home of Garcia's career and the first for the Rangers since 2021.
Semien didn't waste any time getting revenge. He took Winn deep in the second, making it a five-run game. The Giants never seriously threatened to make it a close one.
Not A Win Day
Winn was absolutely dominant for a three-start stretch in late April, but it has been a nightmare ever since. He gave up 17 runs over his next three starts, although the Giants saw some clear reasons for the struggles. Winn was sick when he got rocked in Philadelphia, made his next start at Coors Field, and then dealt with forearm tightness the next time out.
The staff folded in a rehab start earlier this week to get Winn fully back up to speed, but it was a rough return. Nathaniel Lowe's double knocked him out with one out in the fifth and when both inherited runners scored, Winn had tied a career-high by allowing seven runs.
Winn did strike out seven, but he allowed six hits, walked two and hit one. The Rangers took advantage of slow times to the plate, stealing four bases in the first two innings.
Yaz Hands
Eovaldi struck out four of the first six to come to the plate, but the Giants scored in each of the next two innings. Patrick Bailey's single got them on the board in the third, and Mike Yastrzemski crushed an 0-2 pitch into the seats in right an inning later.
The homer was Yastrzemski's seventh of the 2024 MLB season. The Giants don't have anyone in double-digits yet, but there's a large pack racing to be the first one there. Yastrzemski and Jorge Soler each have seven homers, and Heliot Ramos is at six after hitting three on the road trip. Michael Conforto, Thairo Estrada and Matt Chapman are tied for the team lead at eight home runs apiece.
Missing Some New Guys
The Giants were without Chapman for just the second time all year. The third baseman went into a full dive for a liner in the ninth inning Saturday and came up limping. Chapman had some hamstring tightness and other general soreness, and he was probably due for a day off soon, anyway. Manager Bob Melvin is hopeful Chapman returns to the lineup Monday night at home.
Jorge Soler was also off, but that was for a much different reason. Soler is hitting just .175 with runners on base and has had a rough season at the plate overall. Melvin wanted Wilmer Flores in the lineup but also wanted to get him off the hard turf for a day, so he opted to use him as the DH.
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