Rangers 4, Royals 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo had two hits, drove in two runs and scored and Wandy Rodriguez tossed seven effective innings as the streaking Texas Rangers topped the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Saturday.
Choo singled and scored in the first inning and added a two-run double in the second.
Rodriguez (3-2) stymied the Royals on six hits, allowing one run and striking out four. He is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in five road starts.
The Rangers (30-26) have won seven of eight and 15 of 19, while the Royals (30-23) lost for the ninth time in 11 games.
Kansas City right fielder Jarrod Dyson went 3-for-4 and catch Salvador Perez had two hits, including a solo home run.
The Rangers jumped on Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura for four runs in the first two innings.
Choo, designated hitter Prince Fielder, first baseman Mitch Moreland and third baseman Joey Gallo stroked successive singles off Ventura with one out in the first. Moreland's single scored Choo. Shortstop Elvis Andrus brought home Fielder with a sacrifice fly.
Catcher Carlos Corporan was hit by Ventura's pitch to lead off the second and advanced to third on second baseman Hanser Alberto's double. Choo got both home with a double to left-center.
Ventura threw 58 pitches in the first two innings and was pulled after the third. He allowed four runs on six hits and two walks. He also committed a throwing error on a pickoff move. It was Ventura's shortest outing of the season and bloated his ERA to 4.62.
Right-hander Joe Blanton, who replaced Ventura, pitched for the third consecutive day. He gave up three hits and struck out four in 3 1/3 innings.
Third baseman Mike Moustakas singled home Dyson, who had doubled, in the sixth. It was the Royals' first run since center fielder Lorenzo Cain hit a two-run homer against Cleveland in the third inning Thursday.
Shawn Tolleson worked the ninth to log his seventh save, but he did give up a home run to Perez to snap his scoreless streak at 13 2/3 innings.
NOTES: Royals LHP Danny Duffy threw a bullpen session Saturday with no problems. He likely will be sent out soon on a rehab assignment. ... Rangers RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez, who shut out the Royals on three singles Friday, is the fourth pitcher since the division era began in 1969 to go 2-0 without allowing a run and pitch at least one shutout in his first two major-league starts. The others are Dan Schatzeder (1977, Montreal Expos), Marty Bystrom (1980, Philadelphia Phillies) and Andrew Albers (2012, Minnesota Twins). ... Manager Ned Yost rested two slumping regulars, 2B Omar Infante and RF Alex Rios. Christian Colon started at second and Jarrod Dyson in right. ... Veteran RHPs Colby Lewis of the Rangers and Jeremy Guthrie of the Royals will start the series finale Sunday.