McAdam: July acquisition Nathan Eovaldi has saved his best for October

HOUSTON -- When the Red Sox obtained Nathan Eovaldi from the Tampa Bay Rays a week before the non-waiver trade deadline, they anticipated he would provide them with some depth and options for their pitching staff.

At the time, the Red Sox were without Eduardo Rodriguez (ankle) and Steven Wright (knee), their rotation thinning. Eovaldi, it was figured, could provide some back-end help, and perhaps pitch out of the bullpen some in the playoffs.

You can never have enough pitching, and all that.

Never did they anticipate that he would become their postseason ace. But seven games into the Red Sox' October journey, that's where things stand.

Eovaldi limited the Houston Astros to two runs over six innings Tuesday to earn the win in the Red Sox' 8-2 triumph in Game 3 of the ALCS. Both runs were earned, though, with a different official scorer's decision, it could have been just one.

That follows his strong effort in Game 3 of the ALDS last week in Yankee Stadium, when Eovaldi went seven innings against the Yankees, yielding just one run.

Two starts, 13 innings pitched, three earned runs allowed ... and two wins.

"Nate was outstanding,'' said Alex Cora. "Stuff-wise, he's one of the best left in October -- his fastball, his cutter. Overall, a great outing.''

Indeed, Eovaldi sports a triple-digit fastball and a biting cutter. And while he doesn't pile up a ton of strikeouts for someone with his velocity, he also doesn't issue many walks. He walked two Tuesday night after not walking anyone in his ALDS start.

Not that the task at hand was a simple one. The Astros have a dangerous and deep lineup, and present a plenty of challenges. They nicked him for a run in the bottom of the first with three hits in the span of four batters, and in the third, had a runner on third with two out before Eovaldi escaped by getting Marwin Gonzalez to fly out to left.

But Eovaldi got the hitters he needed to get -- in the bottom half of the Houston lineup -- and did his best to neutralize the more formidable guys at the top.

"I felt like they were able to get a lot of runners on base early,'' said Eovaldi, "and I had to work around them.''

Eovaldi might have had reason to feel a little overwhelmed by the setting Tuesday. He was pitching a few miles from where he grew up (in nearby suburban Alvin) and behind home plate sat Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who shares Eovaldi's hometown.

Instead, Eovaldi, who seems to project the excitability and heart rate of your average polar bear, treated this game like any other.

"He didn't get caught up in the moment,'' boasted Cora. "For him, I know it was a special one. He's from the area and I bet there were a lot of people and family members in the stands. And for him to be able to slow down the game, he did an outstanding job.''

Keep in mind: this is someone who hadn't pitched so much as an inning in the postseason until last week. At the start of this season, he was recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and as recently late July, he was pitching before sparse crowds at Tropicana Field, for a team for whom the playoffs are just a rumor.

And yet, he seemed calm and collected on the mound.

"I try not to put any extra pressure on myself,'' he said. "I try to go out there and just do what I know I can do and execute my pitches.''

At some point, Eovaldi might take stock of what he's accomplished in the last few weeks, and not incidentally, what it might mean to his free agent status this winter. But that time is not now. There are more games to be won.

"Maybe when the season's finally over,'' said Eovaldi, "I'll sit back and think about it all. But right now, I'm still focused and I'll be ready in two days if they need me out of the bullpen.''

That's where the Red Sox might have envisioned him when they acquired him. Instead, Eovaldi is too busy filling the role of improbable ace for a team two wins away from a trip to the World Series.