Yovani Gallardo stares down the Rangers six-game losing streak.

It all starts with the starter. It always does.

Yovani Gallardo pitched the most important game of the season for the Rangers yesterday. By far the most important. After digging themselves out of the early season hole, and actually scaling a somewhat respectable hill, the Rangers have slid back to Earth in the previous six games.

That wonderful six-games over .500 became dead even. And dead was the operative word. The rotation, the offense, the bullpen, the defense all hit the proverbial brick wall.

A few more losses in a row and this team might have lost the confidence to ever get it back.

The Rangers desperately needed a win. Which meant, they desperately needed to keep the bullpen in the bullpen.

Enter Yovani Gallardo. All he was asked to do was face the number one offense in all of baseball. In their home park. Without his team’s relief pitchers knowing the game was going on.

Gallardo did all that and more, throwing eight-and-a-third scoreless, three-hit innings. Toronto never threatened in its first home shutout of the season.

The Rangers six game slide ended 4-0.

Exhale.

Now it’s time to build that hill again. Reinforcements in the names of Josh Hamilton and Delino DeShields are rumored to be on their way. Until then, let’s hope chief grave digger Leonys Martin is given another day off until they arrive and he loses his job for good.

Today, Chi Chi Gonzales and his suddenly human 2.27 ERA takes on Drew Hutchison and his 5.33 ERA in an afternoon rubber game of the three-gamer. Hutchison, by the way, is 7-1. It’s great to work for the team that scores the most runs.