ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Madison Bumgarner pitched four-hit ball over seven innings to win for the first time in 2 1/2 months and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Wednesday night, after both last-place teams scratched their top hitters from the starting lineups.
Arizona traded third baseman Eduardo Escobar, its only All-Star this season, to the Milwaukee Brewers for two prospects.
Two days before the trade deadline, the Rangers pulled Joey Gallo only minutes before the game for what they called non-medical reasons. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the New York Yankees had reached an agreement to obtain the All-Star slugger. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been announced and was subject to approval of medical records of the players involved.
David Peralta and Daulton Varsho hit solo home runs for the Diamondbacks, who won despite getting only three hits. They won for only the fourth time in the 25 one-run games they have played this season.
“We got through a very emotional day and won a baseball game,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Very proud of our guys for separating that, blocking that out.”
Escobar then traveled back to Phoenix with the team after the game.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward said it was 15-20 minutes before first pitch when he learned Gallo needed to be scratched.
“It always hurts no matter who it is, especially a guy like that," Woodward said.
Woodward said nobody was really surprised about any potential trades, considering how much Gallo's name had been mentioned, but said there was some shock at the realization that it most likely was going to happen.
Bumgarner (5-6), who will turn 32 on Sunday, threw 61 of his 84 pitches for strikes in his first win since May 11. He had four strikeouts and one walk.
Bumgarner has a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings since returning from the injured list on July 16 for shoulder inflammation. He credits his recent success to “just making pitches, commanding the zone, staying out of the middle.”
Tyler Clippard, reinstated off the 60-day injured list on July 21, pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his first save since July 22, 2018.
Varsho broke a 2-2 tie leading off the eighth. He pulled his fifth homer of the season into the right-field seats as the first batter faced by Brett Martin (2-3).
Texas starter Jordan Lyles rebounded after allowing a second-inning homer to Peralta and limited Arizona to two runs on two hits in seven innings. He retired 14 batters in a row at one point.
Peralta homered on an 0-2 pitch for his fifth of the year, and first since May 15. It was the 25th homer allowed this season by Lyles, who ranks second in the major leagues in that category.
Texas took a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Adolis Garcia, hitless in his previous 15 at-bats, led off with a double to the gap in left-center. The All-Star rookie scored on Nathaniel Lowe’s opposite-field single to left. Lowe reached third on Andy Ibanez’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Charlie Culberson.
The D-backs tied the score 2-2 in the seventh. Josh VanMeter led off with a double and stole third, a call upheld after a Texas challenge before he eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Young. Lyles had loaded the bases with walks to Christian Walker and Peralta.
SHORT HOPS
Arizona released RHP Jon Duplantier after Tuesday’s game. The third-round draftee in 2016 went 0-3 in four starts with a 13.15 ERA in 13 innings and had been hampered by multiple injuries while with the organization. ... Jack Leiter, the second overall draftee this year, signed with Texas on Wednesday and threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
TRAINER’S ROOM
D-backs C Carson Kelly (fractured right wrist) was the DH on Wednesday on a rehab assignment at Class A Hillsboro.
UP NEXT
Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (1-5, 4.80 ERA) will start Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers to begin a seven-game homestand against the NL West’s top two teams. Gallen has allowed three runs or fewer in four of his five home starts.
Rangers LHP Koby Allard (2-8, 4.71) will start Friday against Seattle rookie RHP Logan Gilbert (4-2, 3.81) to begin a three-game home series. Allard moved into the rotation on May 27 and has gone 1-8 with 11 total runs of support in the losses. The Mariners have won each of Gilbert’s last 10 starts.
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