The Rangers rolled to a fifth straight win, 8-4, over the Royals on Friday afternoon in Surprise, serving as the visiting team in the battle of complex neighbors. After snapping Kansas City’s five-game winning streak with today’s victory, Texas now owns the longest active win streak in the Major Leagues. The Rangers offense has compiled the following totals over its last five games: 54 runs (10.8 R/G), .374 BA (68-182), 33 XBH (14 HR, 2 3B, 17 2B), and 17 BB/28 SO.
Texas wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first, with home runs by Brad Miller (solo) and Eli White (two-run) powering the Rangers to an early 3-0 lead.
Miller jumped on a first pitch fastball off the hand of Carlos Hernandez, homering to the right field berm on the first pitch of the game. Both of Miller’s homers this year have come on the first pitch of an at-bat (also Mon. at CLE). Four batters later, White hammered an opposite-field home run that narrowly cleared the wall in right field for his second homer of Cactus League play. White, who added a double in the fourth, started and played four innings in center field after being limited to DH duty in his first two spring appearances.
The Rangers would pounce again for multiple runs in the fourth (three runs) and sixth (two runs) innings, highlighted by a two-run homer to left field off the bat of Ezequiel Duran in the latter frame. Duran finished with a game-high 3 RBI, as he had plated an additional run on a single in the fourth. Designated hitter Joe McCarthy tallied a double, run-scoring single and walk in his three trips to the plate, having now reached base safely nine times in 10 spring plate appearances thus far (5 H, 3 BB, HBP).
Dane Dunning (2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER, 1 BB, 2 SO) made his second start of the exhibition season, becoming the first Rangers starting pitcher to work into the third inning this spring. Dunning was scoreless through his first two frames, recording strikeouts of Bobby Witt Jr. and Ryan O’Hearn in the first, but was removed after surrendering a two-out RBI double to O’Hearn in the third. Josh Sborz and Nick Snyder were both scoreless in 1.0-inning relief appearances, punching out two batters apiece.
Left-handed starter Martín Pérez served as the starting pitcher for Round Rock (AAA) in a minor league game against Kansas City this afternoon on Surprise Field 6, posted the following line: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 28 pitches/21 strikes. He pitched two innings, but recorded 4 outs in the 2nd frame.
Major League campers Willie Calhoun, Leody Taveras, Matt Carpenter, and Yohel Pozo took extra at-bats today in the numerous minor league games on the Surprise back fields. Calhoun and Taveras both hit home runs in the Triple-A game vs. KC.
The Rangers will venture to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick tomorrow afternoon for a 3:10 p.m. CT meeting with the Colorado Rockies. Texas is expected to start LHP Taylor Hearn (1-0, 0.00) opposite Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (1st outing). There will be a live radio broadcast of tomorrow’s game on 105.3 FM, with Jared Sandler and Matt Hicks on the call. MLB Network will also air a delayed presentation of Colorado’s television broadcast on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. CT.
From Rangers PR staff reports
