Rangers 5, Royals 2
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo and designated hitter Prince Fielder each had a home run and two RBIs in the Texas Rangers' 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.
Choo was 2-for-4 with a home run to lead off the game and Fielder's two-run homer in the second provided a cushion for right-handed pitcher Yovani Gallardo, who snapped his four-game losing streak.
Gallardo (3-5) gave up two runs, six hits and a walk and struck out two in seven innings.
Right-handed reliever Shawn Tolleson worked the eighth and right-handed closer Neftali Feliz worked a scoreless ninth for his sixth save.
Center fielder DeLino DeShields, in for injured Leonys Martin, was 3-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored. Third baseman Adrian Beltre also had a run-scoring hit for Texas (15-19), which, with eight victories in May, eclipsed its total in the opening month of the season.
Kansas City (21-13) fell for a second time on its four-game trip to Texas in a brisk two-hour, 15-minute game.
Yordano Ventura (2-3), making his second start since coming back from a suspension imposed because of his part in a brawl with the Chicago White Sox, suffered the loss.
The Royals right-hander worked seven innings, giving up five runs, 10 hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Ventura retired nine of the final 10 hitters he faced.
The Rangers own the third-best record in the American League in May in large part because of a starting rotation that has the league's best ERA this month at 2.63.
Kansas City was able to touch Gallardo in the seventh for two runs on a single and RBI doubles from designated hitter Kendrys Morales and catcher Salvador Perez.
The Rangers put up two runs in each of the first two innings, though they probably felt shortchanged in the first.
Choo hit a leadoff home run, Beltre added an RBI single, and the Rangers still had the bases loaded with no outs. Ventura, though, struck out left fielder Carlos Peguero and catcher Robinson Chirinos, and second baseman Thomas Field lined out to end the threat.
In the second, Texas center fielder Delino DeShields Jr. hit a leadoff single and scored on Fielder's two-out home run.
NOTES: Texas OF Shin-Soo Choo hit a home run to lead off the game, his 16th to start a game since 2012, the most in the majors. ... Texas activated 1B Mitch Moreland (elbow) off the 15-day disabled list and sent OF Jake Smolinski to Triple-A Round Rock. ... Rangers CF Leonys Martin (jammed left wrist) was out of the lineup for a second consecutive day. Manager Jeff Banister said Martin is day to day. ... Kansas City OF Alex Rios (broken hand, 15-day DL) hit off a tee.