Nathan Eovaldi made his return to the mound for the Texas Rangers in a World Series rematch instead of opting for a minor league rehab game after coming off the injured list.

“After throwing 27 of his 37 pitches for strikes over three innings in the Rangers’ 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, Eovaldi said, “I felt good, I was definitely excited to be back out there on the mound.”

In his first game since May 2, Eovaldi managed to strike out two batters without issuing any walks, though he allowed two runs on five hits. He left the game with the Rangers trailing 2-1, and was replaced by left-hander Andrew Heaney at the start of the fourth inning. Ultimately, Eovaldi received a no-decision.

Manager Bruce Bochy commented, “It’s great to see Nate out there. His stuff was good for three innings.”

Eovaldi’s last start prior to his injury was an impressive performance, departing after 5 1/3 scoreless innings against Washington. He was placed on the 15-day injured list the following day due to a right groin strain.

Initially, Bochy had indicated to reporters that Eovaldi would pitch elsewhere before rejoining the Rangers rotation. However, plans changed after discussions with Eovaldi on Sunday before the team returned from Minnesota and had a day off.

When asked about the conversations after the Arizona game, Eovaldi mentioned that pitching coach Mike Maddux inquired if he felt fully recovered — to which Eovaldi responded affirmatively.

Despite Eovaldi’s readiness, having progressed to throwing 60-70 pitches in bullpen sessions and expressing a desire to pitch another inning, manager Bochy indicated that the plan was to limit him to around three innings.

“Mike doesn’t really specify the exact limit or anything like that. So I was just aiming to work efficiently and keep the pitch count low,” Eovaldi explained. “I thought it was low enough to go back out there for a fourth, but it was either, I guess, three innings or a pitch count, which I still don’t know what it is. But we were in a good spot.”

Eovaldi commenced with seven strikes in a nine-pitch first inning, but Arizona quickly responded with consecutive doubles to open the second inning, resulting in the second run scoring on a foul pop out that turned into a sacrifice fly due to Nathaniel Lowe’s over-the-shoulder catch while moving away from the plate.

An All-Star in his Rangers debut last season, Eovaldi played a pivotal role in the team’s World Series victory over the Diamondbacks on Nov. 1, pitching six scoreless innings and clinching the win in Game 5. However, he struggled in the series opener, allowing five runs over 4 2/3 innings, although the Rangers ultimately won in extra innings.

Regarding the pitching lineup for the following day, Bochy mentioned that Dane Dunning (3-3, 4.43 ERA) would take the mound in the finale against the Diamondbacks. Despite the initial expectation for him to pitch on Tuesday, Dunning’s start was pushed back to give him an extra day of rest due to his recent recovery from a 15-day IL stint for a right rotator cuff strain.

“We wanted to give Dane an extra day. He got some pretty good stuff there in Minnesota, he was pretty sick,” Bochy explained before the game. “So, yeah, there were a couple of variables involved.”