Rangers Beat Astros
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ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo, making his home debut for his new team just 15 miles from where he grew up, gave the Rangers a needed boost with a solid outing in Saturday’s 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros.
It was a big bounce-back game for Gallardo (1-1), who was roughed up by the Oakland A’s in the season opener.
A pitching star at Fort Worth’s Trimble Tech High School, Gallardo surrendered two runs, scattered eight hits and struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings while performing in front of a large contingent of family and friends among the 36,833 at Globe Life Park.
He escaped trouble in the third and fourth innings to maintain a 2-1 lead and allow his struggling offense a chance to score some runs.
They did with three runs in the bottom of the fifth with an assist from Houston first baseman Chris Carter, who had a horrible night at the plate and a costly error that kept the Rangers’ half of the inning alive and directly led to their three runs and a 5-1 cushion.
Gallardo didn’t go as deep into the game as he would have liked, but Texas desperately needed a controlled outing on the heels of news that left-handed starter Derek Holland will miss at least two months after tearing a muscle in his throwing shoulder early in his season debut on Friday.
Ace Yu Darvish recently underwent Tommy John surgery and is lost for the season, leaving the
veteran Gallardo, who came over in a trade with Milwaukee during the offseason, as the staff anchor.
“I felt good,” Gallardo said. “I probably could have [stayed in the game longer], but it was one of those situations, get the win and let the guys behind me do their job.”
Rangers manager Jeff Banister said Gallardo’s pitch count of 90 dictated his decision to take him out before finishing the sixth inning.
“We got what we expected out of Yo tonight,” Banister said. “He definitely had his slider in play tonight. He was capable of throwing his fastball for strikes to set up his slider. We got to where we needed him pitch-count-wise, and we got what we needed from him.”
Houston starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez (0-1) was on the wrong end of four unearned runs. He allowed five hits and also walked four and was out of the game after 4 2/3 innings, having thrown 92 pitches.
Down to their last out in the ninth, the Astros tried to make it interesting against erratic Rangers closer Neftali Feliz, putting runners on first and second. But Feliz got catcher Jason Castro, the potential tying run, to line out to center.
Texas opened up a 5-1 lead in the fifth as Carter couldn’t handle a routine throw. Side-winding left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher snatched a grounder between his legs to seemingly end the Rangers’ bases-loaded threat.
But the ball popped out of Carter’s glove and trickled into foul territory, allowing the batter, Mitch Moreland, to reach first safely and for Carlos Peguero, who started the rally with a one-out double, to score.
The fallout continued as Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus singled, scoring two more runs courtesy of the Carter flap.
“We didn’t finish plays that we normally do. I was a little surprised by that,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “We make those plays 99 times out of 100. The one time is a killer.”
The Rangers started the scoring with single runs in the first and second innings for a 2-0 lead.
Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre scored the first run by roping a triple to the right field corner, and then a little gamesmanship on the base path. After rounding third base, he stayed off the bag as Astros shortstop Marwin Gonzalez took the cut-off throw and eyed Beltre.
As Beltre remained a few feet down the line, he baited Gonzalez into making a throw to third that was way off target and caromed off the front of the Astros’ dugout allowing Beltre to trot home with the 1-0 lead.
Second baseman Rougned Odor made it 2-0 Texas with a one-out fielder’s choice that scored left fielder Jake Smolinksi, who worked a seven-pitch walk to lead-off the second inning. He hustled to third base on Moreland’s line-drive single to center.
Houston’s Gonzalez requited himself in the top of the third, reclaiming the run he gave away on the first-inning throwing error with a solo blast into the right-field bleachers. His first home run of the season came on a 1-2 pitch from Gallardo, giving Gonzalez his first long ball of the season and sliced Texas’ lead in half, 2-1.
The Astros then loaded the bases with two outs, but failed to capitalize when Carter waved at an 88 mph slider that was low and out of the strike zone.
“This a very dangerous hitter,” Hinch said of Carter, whose batting average dipped to .053 after an 0-for-4 night with three strikeouts. “He’s going to come out of this. But he’s definitely gotten off to a tough start.”
