Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi gets run-off by Houston’s home run barrage

Nathan Eovaldi has a short night for the Red Sox

Normally, a night where Nathan Eovaldi is on the mound is one where Red Sox Nation can take a sigh of relief. Welp, tonight didn’t quite go according to plan and the fireballing right-hander didn’t even make it out of the second inning. As Boston tries to claw and climb inch by inch out of the AL East basement, tonight’s start from Evo is a massive blow to the efforts.

Eovaldi cruised through the first inning, needing just five pitches to get his first three outs of the game. Rafael Devers would give him a little breathing room by launching a homer to give the Red Sox an early lead in the bottom of the inning.

Unfortunately, that’s where the good times ended. Houston has a hard enough lineup to deal with on a good day, but if you’re a pitcher that just doesn’t have your best stuff, it’s going to be a long night. The Astros wasted no time in jumping on the righty as Yordan Alvarez quickly tied the game in the top of the second.

That would just be the beginning of the end for Boston’s ace as Houston would follow that with more hits, and even more homers. When the inning finally came to an end the damage in total was nine runs on eight hits, five of which were homers. Alvarez would actually get two hits in the inning while scoring two runs.

Those five home runs were more than just a demoralizing blast to a team that is already struggling this season, they were historic. Houston tied an MLB record by hitting five home runs in a single inning. Not exactly the type of history the Red Sox were looking to be a part of tonight at Fenway Park. This also is another chapter in a story that has been haunting Eovaldi this season.

For much of his career, he’s been able to avoid serving up homers to the opposition, that hasn’t been the case so far in 2022. Eovaldi gave up just 15 home runs through 182.1 innings of work in 2021, he now has 14 in just 41 2/3 in 2022. Obviously, on any given night even the best pitchers can be missing their best stuff, but this is a new low for the righty.

It isn’t lost on Red Sox Nation that he’s giving up four baggers at an alarming rate this season but tonight was a massively eye-opening event. I’m not a pitching expert so I won’t even begin to try and diagnose what’s missing from Nate’s game but tonight’s issue was clear and it’s all about location.

We’re used to seeing Evo hitting his pitches with precision but tonight that just wasn’t the case. There was no break, no elevation, more often than not whatever he threw found its home right in the sweet spot for whoever was at the dish.

There’s still plenty of season left on the calendar but the Red Sox can’t afford to have many more nights like tonight. Not so much the losing, but getting their heads beat in before the game can even really get going. Once morale is lost, so is the season.

Eovaldi is in the final year of his contract and while a portion of Red Sox Nation was calling for an extension, I just don’t see it happening. Not only is he on the wrong side of 30 but his health history doesn’t lend itself to another big contract. Add in his regression in areas of the game and I think we won’t be seeing him much longer in Boston. Tonight very well may have just been a really bad night, but it could also be a symptom of something bigger for the righty.