Mitch Garver had a home run, a single, two RBIs and two runs as the Texas Rangers knocked off the host Kansas City Royals 10-4 on Monday night.
Kole Calhoun also had two hits, two runs and two RBIs for the Rangers, who collected 15 hits.
Every Rangers starter except for Marcus Semien had at least one hit, and every starter but Charlie Culberson scored at least one run.
Martin Perez (6-2) earned the victory. He struggled early but finally found a groove. He allowed four runs on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts in six innings.
Kris Bubic (1-5) gave up seven runs (five earned) on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
The Royals plated the first run in the first. Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi reached on infield singles to open the inning. Bobby Witt Jr. then grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Merrifield.
The lead didn’t last long as the Rangers scored four in the second, including one unearned run. The first six batters reached safely, including two walks and an error. One of the walks, to Nathaniel Lowe, forced in a run, and Leody Taveras’ two-run single drove in the next two. The fourth run scored on Corey Seager’s groundout to first.
The Royals tied it in the bottom of the second. Merrifield knocked in Michael A. Taylor and Emmanuel Rivera with a two-out double. Merrifield then scored on Benintendi’s single.
Another error hurt the Royals in the fourth. Taveras led off with a slow roller up the line. Bubic threw it into right field and Taveras went to second. Taveras went to third on a wild pitch and scored an unearned run on Semien’s sacrifice fly.
Garver gave the Rangers another three-run cushion with a two-out, two-run home run in the fifth, scoring Calhoun.
The Rangers added three more in the sixth off reliever Matt Peacock. Adolis Garcia’s RBI double scored Semien, and Calhoun’s single scored Seager and Garcia to make the score 10-4.
–Field Level Media
