HOUSTON (Interstat) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven shutout innings and the Texas Rangers broke open a tight game with a five-run seventh inning to defeat the Houston Astros 8-0 on Sunday afternoon at Daikin Park.

Eovaldi allowed five hits, walked two and struck out eight to improve to 5-4. He was backed by an offense that managed seven hits but made them count, including a two-run home run by Jake Burger in the fifth inning and a solo shot by Kyle Higashioka in the ninth.

Peter Lambert took the loss for Houston, falling to 2-4. He surrendered two runs on three hits over five innings, walking two and striking out three. The Astros fell to 19-29 while Texas improved to 22-24.

The announced attendance was 34,893, and the game lasted 2 hours, 25 minutes.

Both teams were scoreless through four innings. Texas broke through in the fifth when Alejandro Osuna led off with a single to shortstop. Burger then drove a 1-1 pitch from Lambert over the right-field wall for his eighth home run of the season, scoring Osuna to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

The Rangers broke the game open in the seventh, sending nine batters to the plate against Lambert and reliever Cody Bolton. Joc Pederson drew a walk to start the inning. Ezequiel Duran doubled to right, putting runners at second and third. Osuna was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Burger then doubled down the left-field line, the ball deflected by third baseman Braden Shewmake, scoring Pederson and Duran and moving Osuna to third.

After Justin Foscue struck out, Higashioka singled to center, bringing home Osuna and Burger to make it 6-0. Bolton relieved Lambert and got Evan Carter to ground out, moving Higashioka to second. Brandon Nimmo doubled to left, scoring Higashioka for a 7-0 advantage. Josh Jung flied out to end the inning.

Texas added a final run in the ninth when Higashioka led off with a home run to left-center field, his second of the season.

Houston had opportunities early but could not capitalize. In the first inning, Brice Matthews singled but was caught stealing second after Yordan Alvarez struck out. In the fourth, Christian Walker was hit by a pitch and Zach Dezenzo singled to put runners at first and third with two outs, but Braden Shewmake flied out.

The Astros put two runners on in the seventh with a double by Shewmake and a walk to Cam Smith, but Cesar Salazar grounded out and Nick Allen grounded out to end the threat. Houston left five runners on base and struck out 11 times.

Defensively, Texas turned a double play in the third inning when Duran, Foscue and Burger combined to erase a Nick Allen single.

The victory allowed the Rangers to avoid a sweep after dropping the first two games of the series, 4-1 on Saturday and 2-0 on Friday. Texas had lost two straight entering the game. Houston, which had won two in a row, lost for the fourth time in its last five contests.

Texas next travels to Colorado for a three-game series beginning Monday. Houston heads to Minnesota for a three-game set.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Texas 5, Houston 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Texas a 51.20 percent probability to win. Texas was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of eight runs went over the over-under line of 8.5.