Rangers’ extra work pays off in 3-1 win

The Texas Rangers aren’t doing enough at the plate to take an at-bat off or to choose not to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself, especially when their hit-and-miss pitching staff is doing its job.

Such were the circumstances Friday night at Safeco Field, where Yovani Gallardo pitched his best game since joining the Rangers and the bullpen was clinging to a narrow lead over the Seattle Mariners.

Some late-game insurance would have gone a long way after defense helped keep the Rangers in the lead, and catcher Robinson Chirinos provided it in an unlikely way for a major-league catcher. He used his legs.

Chirinos, who homered to start the fifth inning, produced the Rangers’ final run in a 3-1 victory with his hustle. That extra tally in the ninth inning gave Neftali Feliz some cushion, and helped the Rangers win a series opener for the first time this season.

“I can say enough about Chirinos,” manager Jeff Banister said.

Prince Fielder doubled in Leonys Martin in the first inning for the game’s first run, and Chirinos made it 2-0 with his blast to center field off of J.A. Happ. After a narrow escape in the seventh by Shawn Tolleson in relief of Gallardo, the Rangers finally surrendered a run when Tanner Scheppers yielded a Seth Smith sacrifice fly in the eighth.

It looked as if the Rangers would wasted a leadoff walk by Shin-Soo Choo in the ninth as Chirinos’ grounded to shortstop to start a 6-4-3 double play. Banister, though, challenged the call at first, and replay showed that Chirinos had beaten the throw.

Chirinos took advantage, taking second on a wild pitch during the next at-bat and advancing to third on a throwing error by catcher Mike Zunino. After Odor popped to center, Adam Rosales’ chopper to third hit the bag and bounded away from Kyle Seager.

Chirinos scored for a two-run advantage that Feliz protected with some help from Choo, who jumped at the right-field wall to take extra bases from Logan Morrison.

Choo’s gem was one of many fine defensive plays by the Rangers. The biggest was one of three double plays turned behind Gallardo as Smith hit a grounder to Odor with the bases loaded and one out in the third. Odor fumbled it right to shortstop Elvis Andrus, who calmly picked up the ball while standing on second base and threw to first.

Rosales got into the act in the seventh, diving in the hole between first and second to take a hit away from Morrison and get a force out. Tolleson struck out the next two batters to end the Mariners’ threat.

Gallardo (2-1) had taken a shutout into the seventh thanks to an ability to command his fastball and to keep the Mariners beating the ball into the ground. Of the 18 outs he recorded, 14 via ground balls, three were strikeouts and one was a flyout.

“Get the guys going up there ready to swing he bat,” Gallardo said. “Once you show that you’re going to pound the strike zone and mix in your off-speed for strikes and keep it down in the zone, I feel like I made pitches whenever I needed to and the guys made some plays behind me.”

This story was originally published April 18, 2015 at 12:11 AM with the headline "Rangers’ extra work pays off in 3-1 win."