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 "It's an unbelievable feeling," Perez said.
Perez homered in the eighth to break a tie as the Kansas City Royals
beat the Texas Rangers 4-3 Sunday to avoid being swept.
"It was huge," Royals manager Ned Yost said of the victory. "We've
been struggling. We haven't given much for the fans to cheer about
in this homestand."
Perez homered off rookie Keone Kela (4-2) to give the fans plenty to
cheer about before starting an eight-game road trip.
"It is pretty cut and dried simple," Kela said. "I didn't execute my
pitch and he executed."
Wade Davis (3-1), the third Kansas City pitcher, claimed the
victory, while Greg Holland tossed a perfect ninth for his ninth
save.
"We kind of went on a little lull the last week and a half," Holland
said. "That's going to happen. The good teams know how to come out
of it."
The Royals had dropped nine of 11 before the victory.
The Rangers, who could muster only one hit off Royals right-hander
Jeremy Guthrie for the first six innings, scored three runs in the
seventh to tie the score.
"I thought we mixed up the curveball with the changeup," Guthrie
said. "I thought that mix was really important for us today to keep
them off balance a little bit more. It's a tough lineup all the way
down, a lot of lefties that can do some damage. You do have to mix
up against them, like you do any club."
After Guthrie gave up one-out singles to first baseman Mitch
Moreland and third baseman Joey Gallo, he was pulled. Right-hander
Kelvin Herrera replaced him and promptly permitted singles to
shortstop Elvis Andrus, which loaded the bases, and center fielder
Leonys Martin, which drove in a pair of runs.
"I was just aggressive," Andrus said. "You cannot stay away from his
fastball. He throws 100. He was adjusting my swing and my eyes with
a changeup. He threw a couple of good ones that I fouled off and as
soon as he throws me a fastball I just put a good swing on it."
Catcher Robinson Chirinos ground out to second baseman Omar Infante
scored Andrus to deadlock the score at 3.
The Royals utilized sacrifice flies in the first two innings to grab
a 2-0 lead.
The Rangers are 26-6 when they score first and had scored in the
first inning Friday and Saturday. But this time the Royals got the
jump.
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Shortstop Alcides Escobar and third baseman Mike Moustakas began the
first inning with singles off Rangers right-hander Colby Lewis.
First baseman Eric Hosmer flied out to center, deep enough to get
Escobar home from third.
Infante reached on an infield single with one out in the second.
Center fielder Jarrod Dyson's double -- his seventh hit in eight
at-bats -- moved Infante to third. Escobar's sacrifice fly to left
fielder Delino DeShields scored Infante.
Guthrie walked two in the first two innings, but did not surrender a
hit until first baseman Mitch Moreland doubled to left in the
fourth. That was the only hit Guthrie would allow until the seventh.
The Royals upped their advantage to 3-0 in the fifth when designated
hitter Kendrys Morales' two-out double scored Escobar, who started
the inning with an infield single.
Right fielder Alex Rios led off the Royals fourth with a double to
left, but went no farther as Lewis retired the next three.
NOTES: Rangers RHP Ross Ohlendorf was placed on the disabled list
with a right groin strain. RHP Spencer Patton was recalled from
Triple-A Round Rock, where he had a 0.53 ERA and five saves. ...
Royals LHP Danny Duffy, who is on the disabled list with biceps
tendinitis, will make a rehab start Tuesday for Triple-A Omaha with
a 50-limit pitch count. ... Royals CF Lorenzo Cain, who was hitless
in his past nine at-bats and 3-for-19 on the homestand, was rested
Sunday. ... LHP Jason Vargas will start Monday at Minnesota as the
Royals open an eight-game trip. The Rangers are off Monday.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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