Rangers Notes: Gallardo Grabs Career Victory No. 100

Yovani Gallardo threw five and two-thirds shutout innings Thursday to finish August with a perfect 4-0 record and a 1.98 ERA.

Following two difficult losses to the A.L. East-leading Toronto Blue Jays this week, the Rangers rebounded to take Thursday’s series finale by a 4-1 final, and in the process helped right-hander Yovani Gallardo earn his 100th major-league victory.

Gallardo pitched into the sixth and did not allow a run, inducing seven ground-ball outs and lowering his season ERA to 3.14.

The 29-year-old right-hander has pitched particularly well this month after enduring a rough stretch in late July, going 4-0 with a 1.98 earned run average across five August starts.

“It just shows a lot of the hard work through the [years],” Gallardo said of surpassing the 100-win mark in his career. “It’s definitely exciting. Hopefully I’m ready to go on and reach the next goal.”

Gallardo becomes the fourth Mexican-born pitcher to win at least 100 games in the major leagues, following Fernando Valenzuela (173) and former Rangers Esteban Loaiza (126) and Ismael Valdez (104).

Texas gave Gallardo an early lead Thursday when Delino DeShields drew a leadoff walk in the top of the first and came around to score on Mitch Moreland’s single later in the inning.

With two on and one out in the seventh, DeShields helped the Rangers pad their lead when he grounded a single in between first and second base. The ball then slipped under the glove of right fielder Jose Bautista, which allowed Hanser Alberto, Bobby Wilson and DeShields to all come around to score.

Trade deadline acquisition Sam Dyson gave up one run in the top of the eighth, but closer Shawn Tolleson tossed a perfect ninth inning to preserve the win and earn his 26th save of the season.

Thursday’s win helped Texas avoid a three-game sweep by Toronto and remain half a game ahead of Los Angeles and Minnesota in the A.L. Wild Card race.

The Rangers were shut out in last Thursday’s series opener at Comerica Park in Detroit, then rebounded to win three in a row over the Tigers.

Infielder Rosales Released by Texas

Veteran infielder Adam Rosales, who was designated for assignment last week to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Derek Holland, cleared waivers and turned down an outright assignment to the minor leagues.

Hanser Alberto was recalled from Triple-A to serve as the Rangers’ backup infielder, and right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez was optioned back to Round Rock.

Rosales batted .246 across parts of three seasons for Texas while getting starts at every defensive position except center field, right field and catcher.

He also filled in on the mound on two separate occasions this year, throwing one inning – and allowing one home run – in each appearance. Toronto’s Danny Valencia took Rosales deep in a blowout in late June before the Yankees’ Brett Gardner did the same at Globe Life Park late last month.

Choice Sent to Indians for Cash

Outfielder Michael Choice was dealt to Cleveland in a cash transaction last Friday, bringing his mostly mediocre stint with the Rangers to an end.

Choice saw action in 86 games at the big-league level last season but had spent much of the 2015 campaign at Triple-A Round Rock, where he continued to show the propensity for strikeouts that had marked his time in the majors.

In 110 games for the Express this year, Choice struck out 115 times while drawing just 32 walks, and he struck out swinging in his lone MLB at-bat in late June.

The 25-year-old Choice had been designated for assignment by the Rangers last week when they acquired Will Venable from San Diego.

Stubbs Signs Minor-League Deal

Looking to add outfield depth following injuries to Josh Hamilton and Leonys Martin, Texas signed 30-year-old Drew Stubbs to a minor-league contract Monday and assigned him to Round Rock.

Stubbs was designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies earlier this month, then cleared waivers and was given his release last week.

Franchise Hit Leader Young Retires in a Rangers Uniform

Michael Young is flanked by Texas GM Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington as he announces his retirement Friday at Rangers Ballpark.

Longtime Texas infielder Michael Young formally announced his retirement at a press conference last week in Arlington while wearing the uniform of the team for which he played all but one of his 13 big-league seasons.

Like Ivan Rodriguez two years ago, Young decided to return to the Lone Star State and don a Rangers cap as part of his farewell to baseball, ending a solid career which included seven A.L. All-Star appearances, a batting title and two World Series runs.

Young, who was traded to Philadelphia last winter, retires as the Rangers’ all-time leader in several offensive categories, including games (1,823), at-bats (7,399), runs scored (1,085), base hits (2,230), doubles (415) and triples (55).

“He was an ultimate teammate,” manager Ron Washington said. “What that means is that he’s a person that came to the ballpark every single day and performed to the best of his ability within a team concept. That’s exactly what Michael was about.”

Young, 37, received marginal interest on the free-agent market this offseason, and while he could have returned for another year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he ultimately chose to stay home and spend time with his family.

The versatile infielder expressed gratitude Friday toward local fans as well as the Rangers organization, which acquired Young from Toronto as part of a July 2000 deal in exchange for right-hander Esteban Loaiza.

He was the team’s regular second baseman for the next three seasons, then was moved to shortstop when Texas traded Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees for Alfonso Soriano prior to the 2004 campaign.

Young switched positions again in 2009 when he transitioned to third base in order to make room for Elvis Andrus at short, and two years later he was asked to shift to a super utility/designated hitter role after the club signed Adrian Beltre and traded for Mike Napoli.

While Young initially balked at the proposed move and requested to be traded, he eventually accepted the new role and helped Texas win its second straight pennant, although the ordeal led to admittedly strained relations between himself and general manager Jon Daniels.

On Friday, Young also discussed the team’s back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and ’11, noting that he still does not feel the best team won the 2011 Fall Classic when Texas was defeated by St. Louis in seven games.

“I mean no disrespect by it, but we were the better team,” he said. “Flat out. I can say that now that I’m retired.”

Bard, Galarraga among Pre-Camp Additions

The Rangers announced Monday that they had signed right-handed pitchers Daniel Bard and Armando Galarraga to minor-league contracts, with Bard getting an invitation to big-league camp in Surprise, Ariz.

Bard is not expected to be ready to throw when spring training begins later this month as he is recovering from surgery to repair Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which limited him to just two games with the Red Sox last season.

For his career, the 28-year-old Bard has made 211 appearances across part of the last five seasons for Boston, posting a record of 10-19 with a 3.67 earned run average and more than two strikeouts per walk in that span.

Galarraga, 32, made his major-league debut with Texas back in 2007 before becoming a footnote to baseball history while pitching for Detroit. In a June 2010 game against Cleveland, Galarraga retired the first 26 batters he faced, but he was denied a perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce blew the call on what should have been the final out at first base.

Korean Hurler Yoon Throws for Rangers

Right-handed pitcher Suk-Min Yoon has drawn interest from a handful of MLB clubs this offseason, and the international free agent threw a bullpen session in front of Texas (and Chicago Cubs) brass in Surprise on Tuesday.

Yoon was transitioned from a starter into a reliever following shoulder surgery last season, but the Rangers, who have not yet added an outside pitcher to fill the rotation while Derek Holland rehabilitates from knee surgery, would almost certainly utilize him as a starter.

The 27-year-old Yoon, a Scott Boras, client won the Korean Baseball Organization MVP award in 2011 (as well as the pitching triple crown) with a record of 17-5, a 2.45 ERA and 178 strikeouts for the Kia Tigers.

Rangers Notes: Young Eclipses 2,000-Hit Plateau

Michael Young reached on an infield single in the seventh inning Sunday to become the first player in franchise history to collect 2,000 career hits.

Infielder Michael Young went 2-for-4 Sunday with a pair of infield singles against Cleveland to give him 2,000 career hits, making him the first player in Rangers history to achieve that milestone.

Young – who is already the club’s all-time leader in games, hits, doubles, runs scored and a number of other categories – tallied his 2,000^th hit in career game No. 1,621, which makes him the third-fastest right-handed batter since 1900 to reach the mark behind only Al Simmons (1,390) and Rogers Hornsby (1,462).

A seven-time All-Star and former batting champion, Young is in his 11^th full season with Texas after being acquired from the Blue Jays as part of a deal that sent right-hander Esteban Loaiza to Toronto in July 2000.

Young’s highest yearly total came in 2005 when he led the American League with 221 base hits, and he has averaged right at 200 hits per season during his time with the Rangers.

“That’s a lot of hits,” manager Ron Washington told ESPNDallas.com. “He’s a guy that after his rookie year or even his first few years, figured things out. … No matter how tough things are, he finds a way. That’s quality.”

Rhodes Released, Signed by Cardinals

Texas cut ties with veteran southpaw Arthur Rhodes on Monday, placing the 41-year-old pitcher on release waivers that allowed him to become a free agent and sign a big-league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rhodes had been designated for assignment last Tuesday in order to clear room on the active roster for right-hander Mike Adams, who was dealt from San Diego to the Rangers just before the non-waiver trade deadline.

In 32 relief appearances for Texas this season, Rhodes compiled a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 4.81 across 24-plus innings of work, and the club’s deadline deals to acquire Adams and Koji Uehara had pushed him to near the bottom of the Rangers’ bullpen pecking order.

Beltre Re-Aggravates Strained Hamstring

All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre, who has been sidelined since July 23 with a strained left hamstring, re-aggravated the injury while performing running drills prior to Sunday’s game in Arlington.

Having already missed 14 games, Beltre was gearing up for a rehab assignment before suffering this setback, which is expected to delay any thoughts of a return for at least three more weeks.

Optimistically, Texas hopes to have Beltre back in the lineup before September.