PHOENIX (AP) — Zac Gallen pitched six scoreless innings in his latest quality start and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday.
Gallen (11-13) allowed four hits and struck out five with no walks.
The Diamondbacks scraped together two early runs against Rangers starter Jack Leiter (9-8) and their bullpen did the rest. Jake Woodford, the last of Arizona’s five pitchers, worked around a walk in the ninth for his third save.
The Diamondbacks have won six of eight. Texas dropped two games back of the final AL wild card spot.
Gallen has been solid lately after an up-and-down start to the season, going 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA his last six starts.
The right-hander was sharp again against the Rangers.
Gallen stranded runners on the corners in the first inning and left two more on base in the fifth. He’s allowed four runs in 24 innings over his last four starts.
Leiter won last two starts, but quickly got into trouble against the Diamondbacks. Gabriel Moreno hit a run-scoring single in the first inning and Arizona scored another run in the second on first baseman Jake Burger’s fielding error. The misplay ended the Rangers’ franchise-record 19 straight games without an error.
Leiter settled in after that, allowing two runs on three hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and three walks.
Key moment
Arizona reliever John Curtiss induced Josh Smith into an inning-ending groundout after an interference call on shortstop Geraldo Perdomo put a runner on third in the seventh.
Key stat
Arizona RF Corbin Carroll has reached base in 21 straight games, matching the second-longest streak of his career.
Up next
Rangers RHP Merrill Kelly (11-7, 3.24 ERA) pitches Friday in the opener of a three-game series against Houston.
Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (6-8, 5.40) pitches the opener of a three-games series against Boston on Friday.
___
AP MLB:
