KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino homered for the fourth straight game, this time a go-ahead shot leading off the sixth inning, and the Kansas City Royals went on to beat the Texas Rangers 6-4 on Thursday for their sixth win in their last seven games.
Nick Loftin also homered for the Royals, who boosted their playoff hopes by going 8-2 on a season-high 10-game homestand.
Michael Lorenzen failed to make it through five innings for Kansas City, but Angel Zerpa (5-1), Daniel Lynch IV, John Schreiber and Taylor Clarke were able to shut down the Rangers. Carlos Estévez handled the ninth for his AL-leading 33rd save.
Corey Seager had three hits and Josh Smith drove in a pair of runs for Texas. Jacob Webb (4-4) served up Pasquantino’s homer.
The Royals pulled ahead 2-1 in the third, when Bobby Witt Jr. sent a fly ball to left-center that Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford lost in the sun. The ball bounced off the warning track, then off the top of the wall, and that gave the speedy Witt enough time to round the bases for what appeared to be an inside-the-park homer.
The umpires huddled and decided to call it a ground-rule double, because a fan appeared to have touched the ball. The Royals challenged the call and it was upheld, only for Salvador Perez to drive in Witt with a single moments later.
Kansas City added two more in the fourth before the Rangers tied the game with three runs in the fifth.
That set the stage for Pasquantino, whose four-game homer streak is one shy of the Royals club record.
Key moment
Pasquantino greeted Webb’s 2-1 pitch by sending it 407 feet to right field.
Key stat
The Rangers’ Patrick Corbin allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings. He has allowed 17 over 13 innings covering his last four starts.
Up next
Texas returns home to face Cleveland on Friday night with RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-3, 1.76 ERA) up first.
The Royals begin a three-game set Friday night in Detroit with RHP Ryan Bergert (1-1, 2.75) on the mound.
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