Mostly known for walk-offs, Joey Gallo’s walk sparked the inevitable win over the quickly collapsing Astros.

If there is one moment this season that defines Joey Gallo’s incredible turn around, it was in the fourth inning of last night’s game.

Before this season, Joey Gallo was a strikeout machine. Throw a pitch anywhere in the same zip code and he swung at it. Flailed is a better word. He looked lost and hopeless.

But in the fourth inning, against one of the best pitchers in the American League, a left-hander no less, Joey Gallo turned into a bona fide major league threat.

Not with a home run, like he usually gets. Or a single, like he occasionally gets. He did it with a walk. And not just any walk, a walk with bases-loaded when he had two strikes on him.

Down 1-2 in the count, Joey Gallo worked a walk that not only gave the Rangers their first, and tying, run after being shut down one-two-three for the first three innings by Dallas Keuchel, but it opened the door for a six-run inning that put away the Astros once again.

The Rangers got eight brilliant innings out of Andrew Cashner, who had a season high six strikeouts. They got a three-run homer from Mike Napoli. A three-hit game from Elvis Andrus. More highlights than they have had in a week.

Yet the biggest play of the game was Gallo’s walk.

In the past, when Gallo got to two strikes, it was a lead pipe cinch that he would strike out. Usually on the very next pitch. His career average when he has an 0-2 count is .071. When it’s 1-2, it’s .063.

With that one walk, Joey Gallo may have turned himself into the most dangerous .206 hitter in baseball.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Nick Martinez (3-5, 5.26) vs. Collin McHugh (2-2, 3.63)
Game time: 12:10

How the Rangers hit against McHugh.
How the Astros hit against Martinez.