Salvador Perez homered twice and added a double to drive in another run as the Kansas City Royals snapped a six-game losing streak, defeating the Texas Rangers 6-1 on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
Kansas City amassed just 11 runs over its six-game swoon (all at home) but were aggressive — and successful — swingers from the start on Tuesday.
Seth Lugo (4-5) allowed one run on three scattered hits and a walk and two hit batsmen in six innings for the Royals. He struck out a season-high nine, including three in the sixth, when the Rangers threatened.
Texas’ Jack Leiter (4-4) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits (both matching season worsts) while walking two and striking out four. Leiter is 1-2 over his past six starts.
The Rangers had a four-game winning streak snapped. Texas had five total hits off four Royals pitchers, with Corey Seager leading the way with two hits and a run.
The Royals struck in their first at-bat, building a 3-0 lead. Bobby Witt Jr. started the surge with a one-out double to left field and sprinted home on a high-bouncing single by Maikel Garcia. After a flyout, Perez ripped a two-run home run to right field and put Texas in an early hole.
Kansas City added to its advantage in the fourth as Vinnie Pasquantino walked, stole second and came across on Perez’s ringing double to the right-center-field gap.
The Rangers cut into their deficit in the bottom of the fourth when Seager doubled and scored on a two-out single to right field by Alejandro Osuna. Kansas City swung back in its next at-bat, with Witt scorching a two-out solo homer into the third row of stands above left field to push the margin back to four.
Perez led off the sixth off Leiter by smashing a ball into the left field stands, pushing him past Kansas City Hall of Famer George Brett for the team record for games with multiple home runs (18).
–Field Level Media
