Texas slugger Joey Gallo crushed a go-ahead three-run homer 433 feet and the Rangers scored a combined five runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take a come-from-behind 8-6 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs on Saturday night.
Texas rallied from an early 6-3 deficit behind a two-run single by Shin-Soo Choo in the seventh inning and then Gallo's bomb in the bottom of the eighth for the two-run lead. The Rangers' big eighth inning started with Elvis Andrus singling to center, followed by Nomar Mazara working a walk to set up Gallo's heroics.
Texas, which totaled 11 hits, tied the three-game series with the rubber game coming up Sunday afternoon.
Gallo, the high-strikeout, longball-hitting lefty, recorded his lone hit of the night with the homer. He also scored the Rangers' third run to make it 4-3 Chicago after reaching on a fielder's choice and scoring on Asdrubal Cabrera's home run to right field.
The Cubs built their lead with a three-run first inning and two RBIs by Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras.
Schwarber homered to center in the top of fifth inning and Jason Heyward drove in the Cubs' sixth run on a sacrifice fly to left that scored Contreras for a 6-3 lead. Schwarber and Contreras each recorded three hits.
Cubs starter Yu Darvish did not provide the encouraging start the Cubs hoped for in his first return to the mound since May 2018. Facing his former team in a ballpark where he won 31 games, Darvish didn't get out of the third inning.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon pulled the right-hander after he allowed three runs on two hits and a discouraging seven walks in 2 2/3 innings.
Chicago reliever Jose Quintana held the Rangers in check until giving up Choo's two-run single in the seventh.
Rangers starting pitcher Edinson Volquez surrendered four runs on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Reliever Jeanmar Gomez then coughed up two runs on two hits and the fifth of seven total Rangers walks.
--Field Level Media
Chi. Cubs | Texas | |
Yu Darvish | Player | Edinson Volquez |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
2.2 | IP | 4.0 |
4 | Strikeouts | 3 |
2 | Hits | 6 |
10.12 | ERA | 9.00 |
Chi. Cubs | Texas | |
Kyle Schwarber | Player | Asdrubal Cabrera |
3 | Hits | 2 |
2 | RBI | 2 |
1 | HR | 1 |
6 | TB | 6 |
.600 | Avg | .500 |