Texas Rangers news: Eovaldi's velo issue, Detroit series, gratitude for the roof

Texas Rangers' pitcher, Nathan Eovaldi, has been the ace of the rotation since Jacob deGrom was lost for the season after only six starts. Eovaldi has started 16 games, is 9-3, has thrown 105 1/3 innings, has 101 strikeouts, a 2.82 ERA, and a 0.997 WHIP. He has been spectacular and provided the stability to the rotation that the Rangers needed.

Despite all of the fantastic statistics that Eovaldi has amassed so far this season, there has been a bit of concern over the last two starts for the veteran righty's health. The questions started to arise early last week after his start against the Chicago White Sox. Coming into that game Eovaldi was averaging 95.6 mph on his four-seam fastball, but during that game in Chicago, his average velo slowed to 93.8 mph. That dip of nearly two mph was alarming enough, that Eovaldi would field some questions from the media about it later in the week.

Eovaldi attributed the drop in velocity to a mechanical issue, and not a fatigue or injury problem. Bruce Bochy must not have much concern about the velo drop. Even though the Rangers had an off day last Thursday and all of the starters could have had an extra day of rest between starts, Bochy kept Eovaldi on his normal four days rest routine.

Starting yesterday against the Yankees, Eovaldi wasn't great, but battled and pitched well enough to win, but ultimately had a no decision as the Rangers fell to the Yankees 3 to 5. The Rangers have lost the last three games that Eovaldi has started, although the native Texan has only taken the loss in one of the three. In yesterday's game, his velo was up (94.4 mph) from his previous start, but still a little over one mph off of his season average.

Hopefully Eovaldi is just working through some mechanical issues and the dive in velo isn't a health concern. It is a long season, and a starting pitchers arm, legs, and stamina are pushed to their limits, especially a workhorse like Eovaldi. The Rangers need him to stay healthy, not only throughout the regular season, but all the way to the end of any potential playoff run.

Texas Rangers schedule versus the Detroit Tigers

After dropping the final two games to the Yankees on the road, the Rangers are back home for an eight-game home stand starting tonight against the Detroit Tigers. The Rangers finished up their road trip at 3-3, taking the series against the White Sox before falling to the Yankees. The Rangers did win the season series against the Yankees 4-3, so if head-to-head record is used in playoff seeding, the Rangers will hold the advantage over the Yankees.

This will mark the second, and last, time that the Rangers play the Tigers this year in the regular season. Texas took two games out of three in Detroit at the end of May. Even though the Tigers are ten games under .500, at 33-43, they find themselves only 5.5 games behind Minnesota for first place in the AL Central.

After a strong showing in May at 16-11, Detroit has been struggling in the month of June. They come into Texas with a 7-15 record for the month but have won six of their last ten contests. Rangers' fans may want to look ahead to the four-game home series against the Houston Astros that starts on Friday, but Bochy will no doubt have the club poised to take care of business against the Tigers first.

Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field provides much needed relief from the heat

A person would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful ballpark, than the Ballpark in Arlington. Not only did it have so many great memories attached to it, but it was so aesthetically pleasing. The new Globe Life Field has been mocked as a barn or an airplane hangar but has never been talked about as a beautiful structure from the outside. But for what it might lack in wonder from the outside, it makes up for it on the inside.

Not only is the stadium a great design on the interior that makes every seat seem closer to the action, with the addition of its retractable roof, makes going to a game in the Texas heat not only bearable, but a pleasant experience. The oppressive Texas heat was an energy drain for the players, and it was just brutal sitting out in the sun and heat for nearly half of the season.

This week's forecast calls for temperatures and heat index well above 100 degrees, and yet Rangers' fans can enjoy watching their team in the comfort of low to mid 70s temps. Having a retractable roof is the best of both worlds as it allows for open air play when nice and keeps the elements out when it isn't. It is in no way a must have, as we survived many a Texas summer in Arlington cheering on the Rangers without it. But it is a nice addition and one that is sure to make the middle of summer games more enjoyable for players and fans alike.