Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers singles against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Globe Life Field on April 10, 2021 in Arlington, Texas.
Joey Gallo ended the longest home run drought of his career at 20 games with the Texas slugger's hardest hit of the season, an early tiebreaking two-run shot in the Rangers' 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
Nick Solak homered twice to take the Texas team lead with seven as the Rangers stopped a second four-game losing streak, their longest of the season.
Shohei Ohtani was 0 for 4 with a strikeout as the LA designated hitter a day after getting the win, scoring three runs and driving in two while becoming the first home run leader to start as a pitcher since Babe Ruth a century ago.
Gallo extended the longest current on-base streak in the major leagues to 23 games with a first-inning walk. It's the deepest season-opening run for Texas since Ian Kinsler reached in the first 25 games of 2008.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
But the 2019 All-Star's power slump had reached 88 plate appearances without even one extra-base hit before Gallo pulled a 114.3 mph liner down the line in right field off Jose Quintana to break a 1-1 tie in the third.
Mike Trout, who entered the game leading the majors in on-base and slugging percentage, had was 2 for 4 with a double to raise his batting average to .431.
Ohtani and Trout didn't go deep against Texas starter Mike Foltynewicz, who had allowed a majors-leading eight home runs in his first four starts but didn't surrender one against the team that started the day leading the AL in long balls.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Foltynewicz (1-3) allowed eight hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings for the right-hander's first win with the Rangers. He signed as a free agent in the offseason.
Albert Pujols drove in the only LA run with a single in the second. The 41-year-old has 2,112 RBIs, second to Hank Aaron on the career list.
Solak had a pair of solo shots in his first career multihomer game, starting in the first against Quintana (0-2). The LA left-hander allowed six hits and five runs in 3 1/3 innings. Solak connected again in the seventh.
Gallo, whose only other extra-base hit was a homer in Kansas City in the second game, struck out with the bases loaded in the fourth. It was the 11th consecutive game with at least one K for the AL leader in walks (23) and strikeouts (34).
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: Manager Joe Maddon said the blister on Ohtani's pitching hand that ended the right-hander's night after five innings wasn't a big concern. "We were just trying to stay ahead of it a little bit," Maddon said. "Just one of those things that we will have to continue to monitor it." … Maddon said C Max Stassi (left thumb sprain) and OF Juan Lagares (left calf strain) were close to returning.
UP NEXT
Angels RHP Alex Cobb (1-1, 6.28 ERA) is set for Wednesday's finale of the three-game series against Texas RHP Dane Dunning (1-0, 3.06). Cobb has a 2.90 ERA in six career starts against the Rangers and is facing them for the first time since July 2018 with Baltimore. Dunning extended his scoreless streak to 16 innings in his previous start at the White Sox before allowing a career-high five earned runs without escaping the third. Dunning had a no-decision in Chicago's 9-7 victory.
Click here to listen to the newest episode of Big Game Friday Morning.
