Gallardo & Odor Put Texas Over Dodgers 4-1
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ARLINGTON (AP) - Rougned Odor spent five weeks back in the minor leagues after struggling early in the season for the Texas Rangers.
The young second baseman made an impactful return Monday night, with a big two-run single among his three hits, while Yovani Gallardo threw seven scoreless innings in the Rangers' 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"How about the young man coming back, first night with the hits, but more importantly the big one," manager Jeff Banister said with a smile. "Get him back up here on night one, you see the adjustments, and it paid off for us."
Odor was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock earlier Monday when outfielder Delino DeShields was put on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
Gallardo (6-6) struck out four and walked three while allowing four hits. The right-hander has won all three of his decisions over his last five starts, and has allowed only five earned runs over 32 innings in that span.
After walking the first two batters of the sixth in what was still a scoreless game, Gallardo got Yasiel Puig on an adventurous flyball before Adrian Gonzalez grounded into a double play.
"I'm throwing the ball well right now. I had a good slider and cutter," Gallardo said. "I think I was just trying to be a little bit too fine (in the sixth). ... But I made some pitches. The guys played great defense behind me."
The Rangers got all of their runs in the bottom of that same inning off Carlos Frias (4-4).
"He was cruising and then all of a sudden a four-pitch walk," manager Don Mattingly said. "And he got himself in trouble quick with the next guy. ... He kept leaving the ball up."
Fielder and Mitch Moreland, with a 10-game hitting streak, had consecutive RBI singles before Elvis Andrus' sac bunt. Odor greeted reliever Adam Liberatore by going the opposite way through the left side of the infield to make it 4-0.
"I've been working in Triple-A a lot on that, hitting the ball to the other side," Odor said. "I feel good with everything right now."
When sent down, he had hit .144 with 25 strikeouts after starting 25 of the Rangers' first 31 games at second base. He then hit .355 with five homers in 107 at-bats in 30 games at Round Rock.
Shawn Tolleson worked the ninth for his ninth save in as many chances, a day after giving up a ninth-inning run in a tie game that became a 4-3 home loss to Minnesota.
Rangers reliever Tanner Scheppers gave up a long homer to Yasmani Grandal on the first pitch he threw after taking over in the eighth.
The Dodgers still had two on with one out in the eighth when Puig struck out for the third time and then snapped the bat over his leg in frustration. Puig also shattered a light in the tunnel leading out of the dugout when he slammed the broken bat there.
With two on the sixth, Puig hit a towering flyball to right that Shin-Soo Choo initially couldn't find. Choo recovered, backpedaling with his glove arm extended as far as possible when making the catch.
KERSHAW GETS HOMETOWN TEAM AT HOME
Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and Dallas native Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to pitch against the Rangers — on Wednesday in Dodger Stadium, instead in the stadium he grew up going to games. The only game he has played at the Rangers' ballpark was while in high school, and he was at first base.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: RHP Pedro Baez (pectoral muscle) is scheduled to throw live BP on Tuesday and then likely a bullpen session in Los Angeles after that. Manager Don Mattingly said if those go well, "we'll be talking about a rehab assignment for him." ... Mattingly said OF Carl Crawford (right oblique) has "started swinging a little bit."
Rangers: Slugger Josh Hamilton swung a bat for the first time since straining his left hamstring two weeks ago. Hamilton said he felt fine after hitting off a tee and also some soft tosses. ... LHP Martin Perez, pulled from his rehab assignment from Tommy John surgery because of a tweaked left groin, is set to throw a bullpen session Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: Lefty Brett Anderson has a 2.79 ERA over his last eight starts, but is only 1-3 in that span. He has induced 142 ground balls, leading the majors in ground-ball percentage at 67 percent.
Rangers: Rookie right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez makes his fourth major league start, having allowed only one in 21 2-3 innings.
SIGNING THEM UP
Texas has come to terms with its top four draft picks after second-round pick Eric Jenkins (high school outfielder from North Carolina) and third-round pick Michael Matuella (right-hander from Duke) signed $2 million deals. The Rangers have signed or agreed to terms with 29 of their 40 picks from last week's draft.
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