Nathan Eovaldi pitched three-hit ball over five scoreless innings in his first start since the All-Star break and the Texas Rangers beat the Atlanta Braves 8-3 on Friday night. Eovaldi (8-3) threw 53 of his 86 pitches for strikes as Texas won its fourth straight and handed Atlanta a third straight loss.

The Rangers didn’t string together any big rallies until the eighth inning but continually put runs on the scoreboard in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings. The wheels fell off in the eighth by way of an erratic Rafael Montero.

Even without his best stuff, Eovaldi shut down the Atlanta Braves as the Rangers won in his first start since July 13.

The Atlanta Braves (44-57) and the Texas Rangers (53-50) open a 3-game interleague series Friday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Braves vs. Rangers odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Atlanta Braves. Texas is 53-50 overall and 31-20 in home games. The Rangers are 38-10 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.

It’s Friday, July 25 and the Braves (44-57) are in Arlington to take on the Rangers (53-50). Joey Wentz is slated to take the mound for Atlanta against Nathan Eovaldi for Texas.

Outfielder Sam Haggerty has been activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday’s game against Atlanta, the Rangers announced. In a corresponding move, the Rangers are optioning Cody Freeman to Triple-A Round Rock.