Gallardo gets win as Rangers beat Jays

Another scoreless outing by Yovani Gallardo put an emphatic end to the Texas Rangers' longest losing streak of the season

Gallardo extended his scoreless streak to a career-high 23 innings by pitching three-hit ball into the ninth Saturday, and the Rangers snapped a six-game skid with a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

"Just a masterful job by Yovani today," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.

Mitch Moreland, Robinson Chirinos and Rougned Odor all hit solo home runs for the Rangers, who won for the first time since beating the White Sox on June 19.

Gallardo (7-6) fell two-outs shy of his first shutout and first complete game since a 1-0 win over Atlanta while pitching for Milwaukee on April 5, 2011.

"It was a great win for us, period," Gallardo said. "Obviously the last week we haven't played the way we wanted to."

The right-hander won his fourth straight decision and improved to 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA in five June starts. Gallardo last allowed a run in the eighth inning of a June 10 outing at Oakland, four starts ago.

It's the longest scoreless streak by a Rangers pitcher since Martin Perez worked 26 scoreless innings in April, 2014.

The Blue Jays came in having scored an major league-high 417 runs but couldn't get anything going against Gallardo.

"The breaking ball was a little sharper today than it has been," Banister said. "Against a group of guys like this ball club, you need that."

Jose Bautista drew a two out walk in the first but was left stranded. Toronto didn't get its first hit until Edwin Encarnacion's two-out single in the fourth. Dioner Navarro followed with a strikeout, the first of 10 consecutive outs. The streak ended when Russell Martin drew a leadoff walk in the eighth, but Chris Colabello grounded into a double play on Gallardo's next pitch.

"He was picking us apart pretty good," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Gallardo.

Toronto was blanked for the second time this season. Washington's Ryan Zimmermann pitched eight scoreless innings to beat the Blue Jays in the first game of a doubleheader on June 2, with Drew Storen saving the 2-0 win.

Gallardo left after Josh Donaldson's one-out single in the ninth. Shawn Tolleson came on and got Bautista to ground into a game-ending double play.

Promoted from, Triple-A Buffalo to make his major league debut, Blue Jays left-hander Matt Boyd (0-1) allowed four runs and nine hits, including three homers, in 6 2-3 innings.

"I wasn't nervous, I was excited," Boyd said. "It's definitely something to build on."

Odor opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the second and Moreland made it 2-0 with a leadoff drive in the fourth.

Chirinos hit a leadoff homer in the fifth and Odor did the same in the seventh.

SANTANA ABANDONS COMEBACK

Two-time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana has abandoned his comeback bid with the Blue Jays. Santana signed a minor league deal with Toronto in February but never appeared in a game at any level. Santana last pitched in the majors in 2012

PRINCE OF HITS

Prince Fielder singled in his first two at bats for his ML-leading 32nd multihit game.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (strained back muscle) is scheduled to throw bullpen sessions next Wednesday and Saturday at Toronto's spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, manager John Gibbons said. It will be the first time Sanchez has thrown from a mound since June 5. Sanchez (5-4, 3.55) is expected back by mid-July.

UP NEXT

Rangers: RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez (2-2, 2.27 ERA) is winless in his past three starts after winning the first two outings of his career. Gonzalez has a 0.56 ERA in two road starts.

Blue Jays: RHP Drew Hutchison (7-1, 5.33) seeks to win his fourth straight decision. He's 5-1 with a 2.38 ERA in seven home starts.