KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A.J. Griffin and four Texas relievers held the Kansas City Royals to seven hits as the Rangers held on for a 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon.
Griffin left after five innings and four hits, allowing a run on a Kendrys Morales home run. Rangers relievers Alex Claudio, Keone Kela, Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson held the Royals to one hit the final four innings. Claudio (2-1) claimed the victory.
Delino DeShields led off the Rangers seventh with a go-ahead homer run off Luke Hochevar (2-3). Rougned Odor went 3-for-3 and walked for the Rangers.
The loss dropped the Royals to below .500 for the first time since May 15. They have lost seven of their past 10.
Mitch Moreland’s two-out single in the sixth scored Adrian Beltre with the first Texas run.
Morales led off the Royals’ fourth with a home run on a full-count pitch for the only run in the first five innings.
The Royals wasted a golden opportunity to score in the second inning. Morales led off with a four-pitch walk and advanced to third on Alex Gordon’s double down the right-field line. It was Gordon’s sixth hit in as many at-bats against right-hander A.J. Griffin. Paulo Orlando struck out for the first out. Morales was thrown out at the plate when he attempted to score on Whit Merrifield’s grounder to shortstop Elvis Andrus. The inning ended on Drew Butera’s pop up to Andrus.
The Rangers put on two runners in the top of the second when Rougned Odor singled and Mitch Moreland drew a two-out walk. Robinson Chirinos turned on a pitch and drove it to deep left, but Gordon was able to snag it.
Delino DeShields led off the Rangers’ third with a walk and Nomar Mazara dropped a fly ball single into shallow right between three Royals defenders to put runners on the corners with one out. Volquez pitched out of that jam by inducing Ian Desmond to ground into a double play.
Volquez worked out of more jams in the fourth and fifth. Odor walked and Andrus singled with one out in the fourth, but Volquez retired Moreland on a grounder and struck out Chirinos to strand the runners.
DeShields doubled off the left-field bullpen fence to open the fifth, and Jurickson Profar bunted him to third. With the infield in, Mazara hit a sharp bouncer to second baseman Whit Merrifield, who threw to first as DeShields remained at third base. Ian Desmond’s grounder to third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert ended the inning.
NOTES: The Rangers signed LHP Craig Breslow to a minor league contract and sent him to Triple-A Round Rock. Breslow, 35, was 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 15 relief appearances with Miami before being dispatched to the minors on May 13 and released on July 18. … RHP Yordano Ventura, who left after five innings after being struck in the right rib cage area by an Adrian Beltre line drive, is penciled in to start Thursday at Texas. … The Rangers are hitless in their past 10 at-bats with the bases loaded. … Rangers LHP Martin Perez will start Monday for the Rangers at Arlington, Texas, against the Athletics, who will counter with RHP Daniel Mengden. It will be the Rangers’ first home game since the All-Star break. …The Royals continue their homestand Monday, starting RHP Ian Kennedy against the Angels, who will start LHP Hector Santiago.
