The Rangers’ big bats took the reins on Sunday afternoon, leading their club to a 10-4 win over the Blue Jays to avoid a sweep and leave Rogers Centre on a much-needed high note. It started with the trusted veterans and it spread through Texas’ lineup, the type of dominant outing that can give a struggling team something to build on.

Marcus Semien conectó un jonrón y anotó dos veces en su regreso a la alineación, y Nathan Eovaldi trabajó siete entradas para llevarse su séptima

We won and that’s all that matters,” Eovaldi said after allowing five runs, including three homers in five innings of work Monday.

Entering Monday’s matchup with the Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field, Eovaldi had six straight winning decisions and had not shouldered a loss since May 22. It was easy to see why. Since he came off the injured list on June 27, Eovaldi had allowed five earned runs in 41 2/3 innings across seven starts. That was a 1.08 ERA in that time frame.

Through a starter’s first 19 outings of a season, Eovaldi’s 1.38 ERA is the fifth-lowest ever, trailing only Bob Gibson (1.06, 1968), Luis Tiant (1.27, 1968), Zack Greinke (1.30, 2015), and Vida Blue (1.37, 1971).

Eovaldi has risen into Cy Young contention and has a chance to become the first Texas Rangers pitcher to win the award.