Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kyle Gibson throws against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Arlington, Texas.
Gibson had a season-high 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings, Joey Gallo hit two massive homers and the Texas Rangers beat Kansas City 8-0 on Saturday, ending a more than month-long stretch without winning a series -- or even consecutive games.
Gibson (6-0) allowed only three base runners, on consecutive singles and a walk to start the fifth, before getting out of that bases-loaded jam.
Gallo hit a 451-foot homer in the fourth inning, a three-run shot that landed in the seats beyond and above the Rangers bullpen in right-center for a 6-0 lead. His two-run shot in the eighth was a towering 445-foot blast that hit the top of the batter's eye in straightaway center field. He has 15 homers this season, four in the last seven games, and the five RBIs matched a career high.
It was the 16th consecutive start for Gibson without a loss, including his 2020 finale before the first opening day start of his career April 1 at Kansas City, when he gave up five runs while recording only one out after the
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Rangers had scored five times in the top of the first. This time, Gibson dominated the Royals before Brett Martin and Ian Kennedy each worked an inning to wrap up the second shutout of the season for Texas.
The Rangers went ahead 3-0 in the second, after Kris Bubic (2-3) took over for opener Kyler Zimmer and hit Willie Calhoun with a pitch to start the inning. Jose Trevino had a two-run double and rookie Adolis Garcia got his 54th RB I on a single between two walks.
Before taking the first two of the three-game series against Kansas City, the Rangers (29-48) hadn't won consecutive games or a series since a three-game sweep of Houston from May 20-22, and had gone 0-7-2 in their last nine series. Kansas City has lost four games in a row, and 15 of 20.
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Gibson retired the first Royals 12 batters, including five strikeouts in a row, before Ryan O'Hearn's leadoff single up to the middle to start the fifth. Kelvin Gutierrez then had an infield single before a walk to Jorge Soler. But Jarrod Dyson then struck out and Michael A. Taylor grounded into a double play on a chopper to third baseman Brock Holt.
The veteran right-hander, whose ERA was 135.00 after the opener in Kansas City, now has one of the best in the majors at 2.00 after allowing only 15 earned runs over 89 2/3 innings in his last 14 starts.
