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.

Rangers Notes: Sweep of Rays Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive

Second baseman Rougned Odor turns a double play over Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier during the fourth inning Sunday at Globe Life Park.

A weekend sweep over Tampa Bay propelled the Rangers to a winning homestand and helped Texas remain one of the many teams in contention for two A.L. Wild Card spots.

Delino DeShields hit his first major-league home run in Friday’s series opener, a towering drive down the left-field line that tied the ballgame at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh.

One inning later, the Rangers went ahead with two runs off Jake McGee before closer Shawn Tolleson tossed a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save of the year.

Colby Lewis was the beneficiary of a seven-run outburst by Texas in the sixth inning on Saturday, once again garnering generous offensive support and improving his season record to 13-5 in the victory.

The Rangers had already scored four times in the bottom of the sixth when Adrian Beltre batted with two on and one out, and he clubbed his 10th home run of the year off Kirby Yates to put the game away.

Beltre homered again Sunday afternoon (on his own bobblehead giveaway day) to support Yovani Gallardo, who scattered 11 hits over five and one-third innings but limited the damage to three early runs.

Rookie outfielder Ryan Strausborger also connected for his first MLB home run in the 5-3 Texas victory, a solo shot off Rays starter Drew Smyly that hooked just inside the left-field foul pole.

Facing Seattle at Globe Life Park on Monday, Cole Hamels struck out eight batters and allowed three runs over seven innings pitched, and Beltre drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to give Texas a 4-3 walk-off win.

The Mariners jumped on Chi Chi Gonzalez for three runs in the first inning Tuesday and held on for a 3-2 win, but the Rangers took Wednesday’s rubber game by a 7-2 final in Derek Holland’s return to the mound.

Holland pitched into the seventh and benefitted from a four-run frame by the Texas lineup, which hit three straight home runs (by Mitch Moreland, Mike Napoli and Elvis Andrus) off Seattle left-hander Joe Beimel.

With a current record of 61-58, the Rangers are 1.5 games behind the Wild Card-leading Blue Jays and just 4 games behind Houston in the A.L. West.

Venable Picked Up from Padres

With Josh Hamilton unavailable due to an ailing left knee, outfielder Will Venable was acquired from the San Diego Padres on Tuesday in exchange for minor-league catcher Marcus Greene and a player to be named later.

Venable, 32, had spent his entire career to this point with the Padres, setting personal highs in 2013 with a .268 batting average, 22 home runs and 51 RBIs. He has also shown speed on the base paths, averaging more than 20 steals per year over the past six seasons.

Outfielder Michael Choice was designated for assignment in order to create room on the 40-man roster for Venable.

(UPDATE: Hamilton was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, and right-hander Jon Edwards was announced as the second player heading to San Diego in the deal for Venable.)

Mazara Promoted to Replace Martin

Twenty-year-old outfielder Nomar Mazara was promoted from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday to replace Leonys Martin, who has a broken bone in his right wrist and could miss the rest of the season.

In 111 games with the RoughRiders this year, Mazara collected 22 doubles, 13 home runs and 56 runs batted in, and he departs the Texas League tied for sixth in total bases (181) with former teammate Nick Williams.

Kansas City Signs Rodriguez

Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez was signed to a minor-league deal Sunday by the Kansas City Royals after being released by the Rangers earlier this month.

Rodriguez, a career National Leaguer before joining the Rangers in late April, went 6-4 with an earned run average of 4.90 across 15 starts for Texas.

Rangers Notes: A’s, Jays Wrap up Series Wins over Texas

Keone Kela (left) gets a visit from Robinson Chirinos and pitching coach Mike Maddux during Thursday’s 6-3 loss to Oakland.

Since reaching a season high of six games over .500 (36-30) on June 17, the Rangers have lost eight of their last ten ballgames to fall back into third place in the American League West.

Oakland rolled to a series sweep of Texas last week at Globe Life Park in Arlington, beginning with an 8-6 win on Tuesday that featured the first rough outing of Chi Chi Gonzalez’ young career.

Gonzalez allowed two runs over the first five innings but ran into more serious trouble in the sixth, giving up an RBI double to Ike Davis before Josh Phegley delivered a two-run, game-tying double to drive Gonzalez from the game.

Reliever Keone Kela surrendered another run-scoring double to Marcus Semien before getting out of the frame, then gave up a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist in the seventh inning that proved to be the difference in the game.

Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez was hit early and often in his start Wednesday against the Athletics, who cruised to an 8-2 blowout victory behind a first-inning grand slam from Brett Lawrie and two RBIs apiece from Josh Phegley and Stephen Vogt.

Colby Lewis turned in a quality start Thursday but could not protect a pair of brief leads given to him by the Texas lineup. And the Rangers bullpen was once again shaky in a 6-3 defeat as Kela and Sam Freeman combined to allow three runs in just two-thirds of an inning pitched.

Moving on to Rogers Centre in Toronto for a weekend series versus the Blue Jays, Texas was shelled in Friday’s opener by a 12-2 final. Backup infielder Adam Rosales tossed the ninth inning in mop-up duty and turned out to be the Rangers’ most effective pitcher of the night.

On Saturday, Yovani Gallardo was backed by solo home runs from Mitch Moreland, Robinson Chirinos and Rougned Odor en route to a 4-0 victory, but Texas batters on Sunday went just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position as the Rangers dropped the rubber game, 3-2.

Beltre Returns Sooner than Expected

Despite making no rehab appearances after missing three weeks with a sprained left thumb, third baseman Adrian Beltre was activated from the 15-day disabled list last Tuesday, batting cleanup against Oakland and going 1-for-4 with an RBI in his return.

Right-handed pitcher Jon Edwards was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in order to clear a spot for Beltre on the active roster.

Beltre had been placed on the DL on June 2, two days after he suffered the thumb sprain and laceration while sliding into second base trying to break up a double play against Boston.

“I don’t pretend to think he’s 100 percent,” Texas general manager Jon Daniels said of Beltre, “but whether we wait a week or have him go take a few at-bats on rehab, [the injury] was going to be there a while.”

Outfielder Michael Choice was recalled from Triple-A on Wednesday as left-hander Alex Claudio was optioned, although Choice returned to Round Rock the following day when reliever Spencer Patton was recalled.

Former Outfielder Hamilton Killed

Longtime major-league outfielder Darryl Hamilton was found dead last Sunday at his home near Houston, the victim of an apparent murder-suicide involving the mother of his youngest child.

The body of Hamilton, 50, was discovered in the front entrance to the house while his girlfriend, 44-year-old Monica Jordan, was found dead in another part of the home. Jordan died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Pearland Police Department.

The couple’s 14-month-old son was also in the house at the time of the shootings but was unharmed.

Hamilton spent just one of his 13 MLB seasons with the Rangers, but it was a memorable one as he was the leadoff batter and center fielder during the team’s first playoff appearance in 1996.

Rangers Notes: Cactus League Wrap-Up

Left fielder Ryan Rua led the ballclub with 11 runs batted in this spring while hitting five doubles, two triples and two home runs.

The Rangers ended the Cactus League portion of spring training with a record of 9-18-4 and have almost finished finalizing their active roster leading up to Monday’s season opener at O.co Coliseum.

Twenty-five-year-old Ryan Rua is expected to get the Opening Day start in left field for Texas after a solid debut late last season and a torrid performance this spring, batting .300 across 20 games (18-for-60) with nine extra-base hits and a team-leading 11 RBIs.

Rua won the starting job over more veteran players such as Ryan Ludwick, Carlos Peguero and Nate Schierholtz, as well as fellow youngsters Michael Choice and Jake Smolinski.

“I like the upside of [Rua],” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “He got off to a shaky start, but after he calmed down, the power showed up, the ability to hit the other way showed up. There will be some growth there for him, but I like him.”

With Rua in left, Leonys Martin in center and Shin-Soo Choo in right, Jake Smolinski will begin the season as the team’s fourth outfielder while Rule 5 Draft pick Delino DeShields is likely to stick with Texas as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.

In the infield, 31-year-old Elliot Johnson was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash on Tuesday while Adam Rosales was informed he will make the Opening Day roster as the club’s utility infielder and super-sub.

The Rangers’ starting pitching plans became a bit clearer this week when right-handers Anthony Ranaudo and Nick Tepesch were both optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, clearing the way for Nick Martinez to claim the fifth spot in the rotation.

Freeman, Verrett Acquired from Cards, O’s

Two new pieces were added to the Texas bullpen over the past week in the form of left-hander Sam Freeman and righty Logan Verrett.

Freeman, 27, was obtained last Saturday from the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Houston-born southpaw made a combined 81 relief appearances for St. Louis over the past three seasons, and he figures to be the Rangers’ situational lefty out of the ‘pen.

Verrett, 24, is a Baylor product who had spent his whole career with the New York Mets before getting picked up by Baltimore in December’s Rule 5 Draft. Texas claimed Verrett off waivers from the Orioles on Thursday.

Bullpen depth has become an issue for the Rangers with Kyuji Fujikawa, Tanner Scheppers and Shawn Tolleson all dealing with assorted ailments this spring, and one or more of those three could begin the season on the disabled list.

Texas Releases Oviedo, Wright

Right-handers Juan Carlos Oviedo and Jamey Wright were both released from their minor-league contracts over the last week, taking them out of the running for spots among the Texas relief corps.

Oviedo, who was signed by the Rangers in early January, allowed two runs in three and two-thirds innings pitched this spring, while Wright was hit hard for 11 runs across nine Cactus League appearances.

In other roster news, right-handed pitcher Ross Ohlendorf was re-assigned to the Texas minor-league camp on Saturday. Ohlendorf, 32, had not allowed an earned run over five innings but aggravated a groin injury last Thursday.

Rangers Notes: Cactus League Update No. 3

Twenty-three-year-old Alex “Chi Chi” Gonzalez has a 1-0 record with an ERA of 4.15 over eight and two-thirds innings pitched this spring.

Texas pitchers were shelled over the weekend to the tune of 35 earned runs across a combined 36 innings of work in four split-squad games Friday and Saturday.

Despite the fact that the games are merely Cactus League exhibitions and have no bearing on the regular season, the results are unsettling nevertheless.

Non-roster invitee Anthony Bass was rocked for eight runs (six earned) in less than one inning pitched Friday against the Dodgers in San Antonio, with all the runs scoring on homers by Yasiel Puig, Matt Carson and Joc Pederson.

Rotation candidate Anthony Ranaudo then gave up four runs on six hits across four frames at the Alamodome on Saturday, and southpaw Joe Beimel saw his spring ERA jump to 33.00 when he allowed three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning later that afternoon in Arizona.

A couple of nice surprises on the pitching front for the Rangers have been starter Alex “Chi Chi” Gonzalez and reliever Keone Kela, both of whom have worked their way into the discussion for spots on the Opening Day roster.

Gonzalez, 23, was a first-round draft pick by Texas out of Oral Roberts University in 2013, and he quickly climbed the organizational depth chart to be named the Rangers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season.

Across a combined 138 innings split between High-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Frisco, he posted a record of 12-6 with a 2.67 earned run average and 113 strikeouts over 25 starts (plus one relief appearance).

A few strong Cactus League performances this spring have put Gonzalez into consideration for a starting job behind – presumably – Yovani Gallardo, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis.

“Baseball to me is a game of adjustments,” he said. “I’ve learned to make quick adjustments as the game goes. I’ve had a couple of outings where I’ve done okay. I’m trying to take the positives out of it and prepare me for wherever I am.”

Keone Kela, meanwhile, has looked sharp in his five appearances so far this month, not yet allowing a run while yielding just one base hit over five-plus innings on the mound.

Infielder Pastornicky Agrees to Minors Deal

The Rangers signed middle infielder Tyler Pastornicky to a minor-league contract on Sunday, less than a week after he had been released by the Atlanta Braves.

Pastornicky enjoyed a solid big-league debut with Atlanta in 2012 when he connected for eight extra-base hits and 12 RBIs over the season’s first two months, but the emergence of Andrelton Simmons had relegated him to minor-league and pinch-hitting duties since then.

The 25-year-old cleared through waivers when he was removed from the Braves’ 40-man roster in January, and he will likely provide infield depth at Triple-A Round Rock.

Kirkman, Choice among First Cuts

Texas made its first round of spring roster cuts last Tuesday, trimming its active roster by seven players with a series of moves.

Left-hander Michael Kirkman, a 2005 draft pick of the Rangers, was released after 10 years of service in the Texas system, often filling a multi-inning relief role out of the bullpen and getting some starts in the minors.

Also on Tuesday, outfielder Michael Choice and right-handers Jerad Eickhoff and Luke Jackson were optioned to Round Rock while pitchers Alec Asher and Martire Garcia and catcher Pat Cantwell were assigned to minor-league camp.