Semien, Garcia home runs help Texas rout KC
RANGERS 12, ROYALS 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bruce Bochy watched from the Texas dugout Tuesday night as, one by one, the Rangers stepped to the plate in the sixth inning to face Kansas City Royals reliever Carlos Hernandez and sent his pitches right back at him.
All except for the one that Marcus Semien sent over the center field wall.
Semien’s three-run shot highlighted a five-run inning that broke open a close game, and Adolis Garcia added another three-run home run in the eighth, as the Rangers routed the Royals 12-2 to reach their best 17-game start since the 2013 season.
Sandy Leon also drove in a pair of runs, and three Rangers that reached base on walks from erratic Royals starter Brad Keller also scored, as Texas (11-6) improved to five games over .500 for the first time since July 16, 2019.
“That’s fun when it’s on your side,” Bochy said of the Rangers’ big sixth inning, which began with seven consecutive hits. “It did get contagious and that’s baseball.”
The Rangers also dealt the Royals their fifth consecutive loss. They are 1-11 at home this season, and their 4-14 start is the second-worst in franchise history behind only the 2-16 start that Kansas City had in 1992.
“You look at that game, it’s close. They blew it open with that big sixth inning, but I didn’t think the guys came out here thinking about yesterday,” Royals Manager Matt Quatraro said. “We were in a good, competitive game and it fell apart.” Kerry Carpenter’s solo home run with two outs in the ninth inning lifted the Tigers to victory in the first game.
ANGELS 5, YANKEES 2 Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Mike Trout had a single and a double as Los Angeles beat New York on the 100th anniversary of the opening of the original Yankee Stadium.
RED SOX 5, TWINS 4 (10) Alex Verdugo singled home the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning on a fly ball that barely stayed fair, giving host Boston a victory over Minnesota.
BLUE JAYS 4, ASTROS 2 Matt Chapman hit a home run and a double, Chris Bassit (2-2) allowed just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5 and visiting Toronto beat Houston.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MARLINS 4, GIANTS 2 Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a go-ahead three-run home run, Jorge Soler had three hits and Luis Arraez singled twice for host Miami, which won for the sixth time in the past seven games by beating San Francisco.
DIAMONDBACKS 8, CARDINALS 7 Gabriel Moreno hit his second career home run and first for visiting Arizona, a three-run shot that capped a six-run fourth inning in a victory over St. Louis. Willson Contreras hit two home runs for the Cardinals, including a two-run shot off Andrew Chaffin during a three-run ninth inning.
PIRATES 5, ROCKIES 3 Jack Suwinski hit two home runs, extending his hitting streak to six games, as visiting Pittsburgh came from behind to beat Colorado.
INTERLEAGUE
PHILLIES 7-0, WHITE SOX 4-3 Lucas Giolito and three relievers combined on a one-hitter as host Chicago earned a split of a doubleheader against Philadelphia. In the first game, Josh Harrison hit a home run among his three hits and drove in four runs.
RAYS 10, REDS 0 Taylor Walls hit two home runs and drove in four runs, Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena added home runs of their own, and visiting Tampa Bay beat Cincinnati. The Rays have hit home runs in each of their first 18 games this season, the second-longest home run streak to begin a season since the 2019 Seattle Mariners hit home runs in 20 consecutive games.
ORIOLES 1, NATIONALS 0 Dean Kramer allowed 4 hits in 62/3 innings, striking out 6 without a walk, and Austin Hays singled home the game’s only run to lift visiting Baltimore over Washington.