RANGERS 15, WHITE SOX 2
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Joey Gallo hit an upper-deck home run, doubled off the top of the wall and set a Rangers franchise record for a major league debut with four RBI as Texas beat the Chicago White Sox 15-2 in a series opener Tuesday night.
Gallo, the top prospect in the Rangers organization, made the jump from Class AA Frisco for what is supposed to be a short stint while four-time All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre is on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb.
With the bases loaded in the first, Gallo hit a hard shot that got past Gold Glove first baseman Adam LaRoche. It was scored a "bad-hop single" that drove home the first two runs off Jeff Samardzija (4-3).
When Gallo came up two innings later, he hit the first pitch into the upper deck in right field -- an estimated 418 feet -- for a 6-2 lead.
He came oh so close to another home run in the fifth with a drive that ricocheted off the top of the wall in right-center, after The Natural music played for home runs started briefly before being turned off.
"He has impressive power that I think we're all jealous of up here," Beltre said before the game.
Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Corporan hit home runs for the Rangers, who have won 11 of their last 13 games.
Corporan, who entered the game in the third inning after starting catcher Robinson Chirinos (bruised right hand) was hit by a pitch, had a two-run single in the sixth and added a three-run home run in the eighth. Choo's solo home run came in the fourth, and he had an RBI single in the sixth.
Colby Lewis (5-3) limited the White Sox to 2 runs over 7 innings, with 4 strikeouts and no walks.
The only runs off Lewis came on Adam Eaton's two-run home run in the third, also in the upper deck in right but not as far as Gallo's.
Samardzija allowed 9 runs and 12 hits, both career highs over 233 games -- 110 starts -- since his major league debut in 2008.
Beltre was put on the disabled list, effective Monday, after spraining his thumb sliding into a base Sunday.
The Rangers announced Monday that the 21-year-old Gallo would be called up to get some major league experience with Beltre out, instead of going to Class AAA Round Rock as planned this week.
Gallo, chosen 39th overall as a supplemental pick in the June 2012 amateur draft, was hitting .314 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in 34 games for Class AA Frisco.
After hitting 40 home runs combined in rookie ball and Low-A in 2013, Gallo set a Rangers minor league record with 42 last year between High-A Myrtle Beach and Frisco. He was the first player since White Sox prospect Ron Kittle in 1981-82 with consecutive 40-home-run seasons in the minors.
INDIANS 2, ROYALS 1 Michael Brantley drove in the go-ahead run with two outs in the eighth inning, backing a strong performance by Carlos Carrasco and sending the visiting Cleveland Indians to a victory over the slumping Kansas City Royals.
ATHLETICS 5, TIGERS 3 Ben Zobrist's grand slam highlighted a five-run seventh inning for Oakland as the Athletics rallied for a victory over the host Detroit Tigers.
RED SOX 1, TWINS 0 Clay Buchholz pitched eight innings and got all the run support he needed on Rusney Castillo's RBI single in the seventh as the Boston Red Sox ended a three-game skid with a victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins.
ASTROS 6, ORIOLES 4 Evan Gattis hit a three-run home run and Luis Valbuena added a go-ahead solo shot in a five-run third inning to help the host Houston Astros to a victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The Astros lead the American League with a 33-20 record.
INTERLEAGUE
NATIONALS 2-3, BLUE JAYS 0-7 Kevin Pillar hit two home runs off Max Scherzer, and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays snapped a four-game skid with a victory over the Washington Nationals in the second game of a day-night doubleheader. The Nationals won the opener.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PHILLIES 5, REDS 4 Darin Ruf hit a walkoff single with one out in the ninth inning after Maikel Franco tied it in the eighth with a two-run home run to lead the host Philadelphia Phillies to a rare late-inning comeback victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
MARLINS 5, CUBS 2 Brad Hand pitched six innings to earn his fifth victory in 33 career starts, and the Miami Marlins beat the visiting Chicago Cubs. Hand (1-1) improved his career record as a starter to 5-18.
CARDINALS 1, BREWERS 0 Lance Lynn allowed five hits while pitching into the eighth inning and Mark Reynolds had an RBI single in the second for the host St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the Milwaukee Brewers.
ROCKIES 6-8, DODGERS 3-9 Alex Guerrero hit a grand slam off reliever Rafael Betancourt with two outs in the top of the ninth, helping the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers rally for a victory over the Colorado Rockies and salvage a doubleheader split. The Rockies beat the Dodgers in the opener behind the pitching of Jorge De La Rosa.
Sports on 06/03/2015