ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Rougned Odor keeps feeling better. Joey Gallo needed a break.
Odor hit his third career grand slam and Gallo and Robinson Chirinos had back-to-back homers in a seven-run fourth inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 11-3 Friday night.
Odor has avoided saying he feels good throughout a hot streak since the All-Star break during which he has batted .404 (21 for 52) with six homers to raise his batting average 31 points to .270.
“Feeling better,” he said again.
But how does it feel to hit a grand slam? “Great!”
Both Odor and Gallo have homered in each of the first two games of a four-game series between last-place teams. Texas has outscored the Orioles 28-11 in those games and has won six of seven.
“Odor right now is pretty well locked in, not just offensively but defensively,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.
Right fielder Gallo and second baseman Odor combined for an out on Renato Nunez’s double to the right-center field gap in the eighth inning. Gallo threw to Odor well out on the outfield grass, and he fired a strike to catcher Chirinos to put out Trey Mancini trying to score.
Gallo leads the Rangers with 28 homers but has struggled to improve his batting average, currently .193.
“The All-Star break helped,” Gallo said. “It’s tough when you’re here every day and struggling. We went to Mexico and got away. We didn’t worry about baseball. Then you get back and you kind of miss it.”
Rookie right-hander Ariel Jurado (2-1) won his second straight start for Texas after a loss in his major league debut.
Jurado left after giving up six hits, two walks and two runs while striking out three in five innings.
“A really good night for him,” Banister said. “Cruised through four. … “We kind of learned who he is against major league hitters.”
Another rookie, Baltimore’s David Hess (2-6), didn’t make it out of the fourth inning in his 10th major league start.
The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Hess made two errors on the same play, allowing Odor to score from first base.
Hess hit Adrian Beltre with a pitch leading off the fourth. Gallo then homered to right field, and Chirinos followed with another homer to the back of the lower deck in left.
“Beltre getting hit by the pitch, I think that kind of gave them a little bit of fire,” Hess said. “And then I just left some balls over the middle of the plate and they didn’t miss them.”
Donnie Hart relieved Hess with the bases loaded and one out. Odor hit a 1-0 pitch into the right field seats.
Baltimore scored twice against Jurado in the fifth with two-out RBI singles by Jonathan Villar and Tim Beckham.
Orioles rookie Evan Phillips, acquired from the Braves on Tuesday, retired all six Rangers he faced, striking out three.
“Just as advertised,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Late, live fastball, threw a good changeup tonight, that was impressive.”
Andrus’ eighth-inning single extended his hit streak to 14 games, the majors’ longest current streak.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: RHP Jhan Marinez went on the 10-day disabled list. He strained his right hamstring while warming up between innings and left Thursday’s game. RHP Phillips replaced Marinez on the 25-man roster.
Rangers: CF Delino DeShields was a late scratch because of a headache. Carlos Tocci replaced DeShields. … OF Nomar Mazara (sprained right thumb) has been on the disabled list for two weeks. Texas manager Jeff Banister said he hoped to decide this weekend whether to send Mazara on an injury-rehab assignment.
WHICH IS BETTER?
Gallo has four assists in eight games as a right fielder. Is it a bigger thrill to hit a home run or to throw out a runner?
“Throwing somebody out without a cutoff guy is pretty cool, especially if you don’t bounce it,” Gallo said. “A walk-off home run, that’s a pretty fun feeling as well. They’re about the same.”
UP NEXT
Orioles RHP Dylan Bundy (7-9, 4.53) faces Rangers LHP Mike Minor (7-6, 4.73) in a matchup of the teams’ wins leaders.
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