ARLINGTON, Texas — Joey Gallo keeps hitting impressively long home runs for the Texas Rangers. Balls are landing in spots at their home ballpark where few, if any, have ever gone in the past.
“I’ve never seen nobody hit the ball that far here. Never,” said Seattle right fielder Leonys Martin, who made his big league debut for Texas in 2011 and got traded away after the 2015 season. “It’s crazy.”
Gallo’s homer in the fifth inning of the Rangers’ 5-1 victory on Wednesday night measured at about 460 feet. The ball went above the hill in center field on a platform with tables for fans to sit and watch the game. One of his two homers Tuesday night landed on the roof of the club in that same vicinity.
“I don’t feel like I’m in a groove or anything,” Gallo insisted. “I just feel like I’m getting a pitch to hit and not missing it. … That’s it, just things going my way, that’s all.”
Delino DeShields and Elvis Andrus also homered for the Rangers, who ended a four-game losing streak to wrap up a 3-6 homestand during which Adrian Beltre joined the 3,000-hit club and ace pitcher Yu Darvish was traded away.
Andrew Cashner (7-8) worked six innings for his third straight victory, matching a career best. He struck out four and walked none, but hit two batters.
Mariners lefty Ariel Miranda (7-5) struck out five without a walk in 5 2/3 innings. But he allowed all three homers as Seattle’s four-game winning streak ended.
“Miranda’s stuff was actually OK,” manager Scott Servais said. “He made a couple mistakes, but they weren’t base hits or doubles, they just went over the fence.”
Gallo has homered six times in his last nine games. His 28 homers account for nearly half of his 60 hits this season — he has 18 singles, 12 doubles and two triples.
“To hit it to center, that’s something I wasn’t doing early in the year, so it’s a good sign for me, personally,” Gallo said.
“The swings have been really good, very aggressive,” manager Jeff Banister said. “He’s staying on the ball.”
The only thing that seemed to bother Gallo was the bug that flew into his eye while in the field the inning after his homer. The 6-foot-5 Gallo went to a knee as a trainer worked to clean his eye, while his fellow infielders stood around the third baseman with smiles on their faces.
The Mariners led 1-0 in the first after Jean Segura was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored on Robinson Cano’s single .
DeShields tied the game with his second career leadoff homer , both this season. The Rangers went ahead in the fourth when Beltre, who later had a single for his 3,002nd career hit, had a sacrifice fly that turned into a double play.
Shin-Soo Choo scored on Beltre’s flyball, but Andrus was thrown out on an impressive peg by right fielder Leonys Martin when trying to advance from second to third base.
Elvis leaves building
Andrus has a career-best 15 homers, and is the first Rangers shortstop with a 15-homer season since Michael Young has 24 in 2005. “This year, I’ve been really lucky,” said Andrus, the ninth-season player with 50 career homers. “The wind is going toward the bleachers every time I hit it.”
