Royals cruise to 5-2 win over Rangers as Pasquantino shines in key moments
Vinnie Pasquantino homered in the first inning and later helped ignite a seventh-inning rally that put Kansas City ahead for good, as the Royals defeated the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Tuesday night. The win extended Kansas City’s winning streak to five and improved the club to 7-1 on its season-high 10-game homestand.
Pasquantino opened the scoring with a homer that barely cleared the right-field wall, giving the Royals an early lead against Rangers starter Merrill Kelly. The Royals’ offense would add one more run later in the first when Mike Yastrzemski homered into the right-field bullpen, marking Kansas City’s second hit of the inning and staking a 2-0 lead.
In the seventh, Texas rallied with three straight hits off reliever Hoby Milner, including Pasquantino’s second hit of the night, a double. Cole Winn entered and threw a strike when he hit Jonathan India with his first pitch, loading the bases and giving Kansas City the chance to seize control. India would score on the next play as Kansas City moved ahead for good.
Angel Zerpa came on to start the eighth, getting five outs as the Royals held on. John Schreiber worked the ninth for his first save. On the mound, Seth Lugo and Merrill Kelly were locked in a pitchers’ duel for most of the night. Lugo surrendered a two-run homer to Corey Seager with two outs in the first and another hit before Joc Pederson’s homer in the fourth, leaving him with just three hits allowed and five strikeouts over six innings. Kelly matched that efficiency, yielding only Pasquantino’s homer in the first and then Yastrzemski’s sixth-inning shot, the only other hit he allowed while fanning three over six frames.
Key moments and stats
– Jonah Heim led off the eighth with a single for Texas, but Zerpa induced a grounder into a double play to end the frame.
– Kansas City has now beaten Texas five times this season, maintaining a perfect 5-0 mark against the Rangers thus far.
– The night also featured Witt Jr.’s milestone moment, as he added a two-run homer in the eighth for his 100th career homer.
Up next
The Rangers had not announced a Wednesday starter at the time of the report after revealing that Jacob deGrom would skip a turn due to shoulder fatigue. For Kansas City, left-hander Noah Cameron (7-5, 2.47 ERA) was set to start.
Summary
A strong early burst, a decisive seventh-inning rally sparked by Pasquantino’s two hits and a hit-by-pitch, and solid relief pitching carried the Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Rangers. The win keeps Kansas City rolling on a productive homestand, backed by timely power from Pasquantino, Witt Jr., and Yastrzemski, and stingy pitching from Lugo, Kelly, and Zerpa.
Additional notes
– Pasquantino’s early homer and the late double-play sequence in the eighth demonstrate the Royals’ ability to capitalize on scoring chances and minimize damage in tight spots.
– The favorable head-to-head record against Texas this season suggests Kansas City has found a formula that works in this matchup, which could buoy them through the rest of the homestand.