Royals pounce early, clobber Rangers
The Kansas City Royals used plenty of clutch hitting early to defeat the Texas Rangers 11-5 Tuesday night in Kansas City.
The Royals were 6-for-7 with two outs and runners in scoring position in the first two innings. Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler combined for four of those hits -- driving in five runs between them.
Danny Duffy (2-1) benefitted from the early run production. He allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings. He struck out six. Staked to a 9-0 lead, Duffy gave up four runs in the third inning, though two came when six-time Gold Glove left fielder Alex Gordon lost a flyball in the evening sky and it fell for a two-run double. A high pitch count (107 pitches) cost Duffy.
Gordon, Dozier and Soler finished the night 7-for-15 with four doubles, five runs scored and seven RBIs.
Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus left the game in the seventh inning with right hamstring tightness.
Royals manager Ned Yost celebrated the ninth anniversary of his first day on the job. He is 702-763 as manager of the Royals.
Shelby Miller (1-3) took the loss for the Rangers. He allowed eight runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. Miller's ERA jumped from 7.48 to 9.51.
The Royals got to Miller for three runs in the first. Whit Merrifield led off with a double. He advanced to third on a deep flyout to left by Nicky Lopez in his first major league plate appearance. With two outs, Gordon and Dozier produced RBI doubles and Soler added an RBI single.
The Royals chased Miller in the second with six more runs, five charged to Miller. Adalberto Mondesi drove in one with a single. After Gordon got another RBI with a groundout, and Dozier knocked in two more with a single, Miller's night was done.
When Soler scorched a double off reliever Wei-Chieh Huang, the Royals led 8-0. Soler then scored on a double by Ryan O'Hearn.
The Royals got their final two runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Merrifield (his 500th career hit) and Lopez (his first).
--Field Level Media
