With five games remaining on their current road trip, the Kansas City Royals have now lost four in a row after getting blanked by the Texas Rangers on Saturday afternoon in Arlington, Texas.
Royals batters were handcuffed for most of the game and collected just three hits. Meanwhile, Rangers slugger Joey Gallo launched a pair of home runs that accounted for five of the runs scored against Royals pitching.
The Royals were shut out, 8-0, in the second game of their three-game series in front of an announced 31,612 at Globe Life Field. They’ve been outscored 17-4 in the first two games of the series.
The Royals (33-42) have dropped their second series in a row. They’ll try to avoid a series sweep on Sunday afternoon when they play the third game of the set. They’ll then wrap up their road trip with four games in Boston.
Rangers starting pitcher and former University of Missouri standout Kyle Gibson held the Royals scoreless for seven innings. He allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out 10, his third career 10-strikeout game.
Ryan O’Hearn and Kelvin Gutierrez notched the only hits against Gibson. Gutierrez snapped an 1-for-27 slide with his fifth-inning infield single to third base.
The Royals' best scoring opportunity came in the fifth inning when both O’Hearn and Gutierrez reached to start the inning and Jorge Soler walked to load the bases with no outs. However, Jarrod Dyson struck out and Michael A. Taylor grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Whit Merrifield, who came out of the game in the sixth inning, saw his hitting streak end at 11 games.
After a scoreless first inning from “opener” Kyle Zimmer, Royals left-hander Kris Bubic gave up three runs in the second inning on three hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Bubic recorded just two outs and threw 40 pitches.
Bubic’s previous outing, in relief of Brady Singer on Tuesday night in New York, had been one of his best in the majors. He came in and got out of a bases-loaded jam, then went on to pitch another two scoreless innings.
Saturday, Bubic got off to a bumpy start. He hit the first batter he faced, Willie Calhoun, and then a well-placed bunt single by Nick Solak put the first two men on base. After a fielder’s choice, Jose Trevino’s two-run double got the Rangers into the scoring column. Adolis Garcia’s RBI single up the middle drove in the third run.
Bubic gave way to Ervin Santana with the bases loaded in the second and two outs. Santana recorded the final out of the inning and retired the side in order in the third.
Gallo doubled the Royals’ deficit with two men on and two out in the fourth inning. Gallo blasted a Santana fastball an estimated 451 feet to center field for a three-run home run.
