ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)– Alcides Escobar had three hits and accounted for five runs, Eric Hosmer homered and the Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 on Thursday for a split of the four-game series.
Escobar led off the game with a single and scored on Alex Gordon’s fielder’s choice on a shattered-bat grounder. Escobar added a two-run single in the fourth, then had an RBI single before scoring on Hosmer’s drive in the sixth.
Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie (3-2) gave up two runs over five innings to win his second consecutive start. He struck out one and didn’t walk a batter, but twice hit Prince Fielder with pitches.
Greg Holland worked the ninth for his seventh save in eight chances, even after consecutive two-out walks.
Ross Detwiler (0-5) is winless in his first seven starts for Texas, which acquired the right-hander from Washington over the winter. Detwiler gave up nine hits and three runs in five innings.
The AL Central-leading Royals loaded the bases for Escobar in the fourth when the bottom four batters in their order had consecutive singles, a sacrifice bunt and a hit batsman. Escobar’s single made it 3-0.
Hosmer’s seventh homer of the season was a two-run shot in the sixth, off left-hander Sam Freeman in his Rangers debut.
Fielder and Delino DeShields each had RBI singles for Texas in the fifth.
Rangers leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo had three hits, extending his hitting streak to an AL-high 14 games. He is hitting .373 (22 of 59) in May to raise his season average from .096 to .243.
Japanese right-hander Kyuji Fujikawa also made his Texas debut, retiring all three batters he faced in the eighth. Fujikawa, signed this winter after a two-season stint with the Chicago Cubs that included Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, had been on the disabled list with a groin injury.
