Corey Seager hits his 200th career homer as the Rangers beat the lowly White Sox 2-1

CHICAGO (AP) — Corey Seager hit his 200th career homer and Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven scoreless innings, leading the Texas Rangers to a 2-1 victory over the lowly Chicago White Sox on Thursday.

Eovaldi (10-7) matched his season high with 10 strikeouts in his second straight win. The right-hander was working on a no-hitter before Gavin Sheets hit a leadoff single in the fifth.

The White Sox (31-104) dropped their seventh consecutive game. They are 4-33 since the All-Star break, moving closer to the franchise record of 106 losses in 1970. The team also is on track to break the majors' modern record for most losses — 120 by the 1962 New York Mets.

Kirby Yates surrendered Andrew Benintendi’s 15th homer with one out in the ninth, and then struck out Andrew Vaughn and retired Sheets on a grounder to second for his 25th save in 26 tries.

The Rangers have won three straight and five of seven overall. They finished a sweep of the season series against the White Sox.

Chicago rookie Nick Nastrini (0-6) retired his first 10 batters before Seager connected for his 30th homer of the season, a solo shot deep into the right-field patio in the fourth. A seated Seager also made a strong throw to first on Nicky Lopez’s grounder to shortstop in the eighth, stranding two runners.

According to the Rangers, Seager became the first exclusively left-handed-hitting shortstop in MLB history to reach 200 home runs. He hit 33 homers in each of his first two years with Texas after agreeing to a $325 million, 10-year contract in free agency in 2021.

Wyatt Langford extended the lead with an RBI single off Perlander Berroa in the seventh.

Nastrini, who was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte for his first major league start since June 8, pitched six innings of three-hit ball.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Jacob deGrom (elbow surgery) will make his third rehab start for Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Return home to face Oakland on Friday night. RHP Jon Gray (5-5, 4.32 ERA) goes against A’s LHP JP Sears (10-9, 4.35 ERA).

White Sox: Rookie RHP Jonathan Cannon (2-8, 4.57 ERA) faces Mets RHP Tylor McGill (2-5, 5.17 ERA) on Friday night in the opener of a three-game set.

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