Rookie Jac Caglianone homered twice and Vinnie Pasquantino also went deep to back the three-hit pitching of Michael Wacha and three relievers as the Kansas City Royals swept past the Texas Rangers 4-1 on Thursday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.
The Royals won all three games of the set, producing their first series sweep since capturing all four games at home against the Chicago White Sox on May 5-8.
Wacha (4-6) went six innings, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five. Wacha worked out of a two-on, no-out jam in the fifth and didn’t give up a hit until Wyatt Langford’s one-out single in the sixth.
Carlos Estevez pitched the ninth inning for Kansas City to earn his second save of the series and his 21st of the season.
It was a planned bullpen game for the Rangers, who are working with a shortened rotation with both Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle on the shelf with injuries. Shawn Armstrong (2-2) started for Texas, allowing two runs on Pasquantino’s homer in the first before being lifted in place of Jacob Latz.
The Royals set the tone early as Pasquantino ripped a two-out, two-run home run over the right field fence in the first inning to build a 2-0 lead. Much ballyhooed prospect Caglianone added a solo shot off Latz in the second inning for his first career home run, expanding the advantage to 3-0.
Texas culled its deficit to 3-1 when Langford raced home on a two-out double by Marcus Semien in the sixth. Wacha was able to wiggle off the hook by getting Adolis Garcia to fly out to end the frame on his 97th pitch of the game, his second most of the season.
Caglianone added another solo home run in the ninth off Robert Garcia to provide the Royals an insurance run.
–Field Level Media
