Royals Vs. Rangers Final Score: Kansas City Loses 5-4 in Extra Innings

The Kansas City Royals were unable to get a split in their four-game series with the Texas Rangers, losing Thursday night's game 5-4 in 10 innings. The Royals jumped out to an early lead on a second-inning solo home run by Jeff Francoeur. An Alex Gordon triple and Salvador Perez single each drove home a run, giving Kansas City a 3-0 lead. The Rangers tied it on two swings in the fourth inning as Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre hit back-to-back homers. A seventh-inning double by Geovany Soto drove home David Murphy, giving Texas a temporary one-run lead. Eric Hosmer restored the tie in the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot to center field. The 4-4 score held until the top of the 10th, when a Michael Young single brought home Ian Kinsler with the winning run.

Royals starter Luke Hochevar was left out of the decision, despite going 6 1/3 innings and giving up 4 earned runs. Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman also made it through 6 1/3 innings, conceding 3 earned runs on 6 hits. Rangers reliever Mike Adams picked up the win, with Joe Nathan closing out the 10th inning for his 30th save of the season. Greg Holland got the loss for Kansas City, now 61-76 on the season.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage, and check out Lone Star Ball for more on the Rangers. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Royals Vs. Rangers: Lineups For Series Finale On Thursday

Luke Hochevar will take the mound for the Kansas City Royals as they try and get at least a tie in their series against the Texas Rangers on Thursday. Both teams have similar squads to the ones that they put out in game three, with the biggest change for the Royals being Lorenzo Cain coming in to play in center field.

Here are the lineups for the Royals and Rangers as they head towards game four of their series:

Kansas City Royals:

CF Lorenzo Cain
SS Alcides Escobar
LF Alex Gordon
DH Billy Butler
C Salvador Perez
3B Mike Moustakas
RF Jeff Francoeur
1B Eric Hosmer
2B Tony Abreu

SP Luke Hochevar

Texas Rangers:

DH Ian Kinsler
SS Michael Young
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
LF David Murphy
C Geovany Soto
1B Mitch Moreland
CF Craig Gentry

SP Scott Feldman

The game will start at 7:10 p.m. CT.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage, and check out Lone Star Ball for more on the Rangers. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Rangers Vs. Royals: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Kansas City Royals will look to salvage a series split when they wrap up their four-game home set with the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.

Luke Hochevar (7-13, 5.34 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals seeking his first win since July 31, and looking to rebound following a particularly rough outing on Saturday, when he lasted only 1-1/3 innings, getting shelled for eight runs in a loss to the Minnesota Twins.

The Rangers will send Scott Feldman, currently holding a 6-11 record with a 5.01 ERA, to the hill. Feldman is also struggling of late, with his last win coming on Aug. 4 in Kansas City when he and the Rangers bested the Royals, 4-2.

Kansas City will try to build on Wednesday night's 7-6 loss, when a late-innings rally came up short after the Royals fell behind 3-0 early on.

The game can be seen on Fox Sports Kansas City or MLB Network. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage, and check out Lone Star Ball for more on the Rangers. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Royals Vs. Rangers Recap: Homers Doom Royals In 7-6 Loss

The Kansas City Royals (61-75) surrendered home runs at crucial junctures in a 7-6 loss to the Texas Rangers (81-55) on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Royals starter Everett Teaford (1-4) struck out five and gave up three runs in 4.1 innings, but all three runs came in a rough first inning for the lefty. After giving up a single to Ian Kinsler and walking Josh Hamilton, Teaford served up a three-run homer to Adrian Beltre. Beltre's 29th home run of the year gave the Rangers a lead they would not relinquish.

When a Salvador Perez RBI double pulled the Royals within one run in the bottom of the sixth, Rangers second baseman Michael Young led off the seventh with a solo homer, which began another three-run inning for Texas.

In the eighth inning, Jeff Francoeur, Eric Hosmer, and David Lough combined a walk, a hit, and a sacrifice fly into two runs, but it wasn't enough.

Ryan Dempster (10-6) grabbed the win for Texas, who increased its AL West lead to five games after an Oakland loss. The two teams finish their four-game series tomorrow night, as the Royals' Luke Hochevar (7-13) takes the hill against Scott Feldman (6-11) for Texas.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage, and check out Lone Star Ball for more on the Rangers. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Royals Announce August Minor League Award Winners

The Kansas City Royals have announced their minor league award winners for the month of August, with infielder Irving Falu and starting pitcher Ryan Verdugo taking home player of the month honors at the highest non-MLB level.

Falu, 29, hit .341, posted a .383 on-base percentage and slugged .477 in the month, notching 12 extra-base hits in August for Triple-A Omaha. For the season, he finished with a .329/.375/.463 line, while racking up 32 extra-base hits and driving in 50 runs.

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Verdugo went 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA during the month, while striking out 31 batters in 35 innings. Verdugo was 12-4 with 3.75 ERA with Omaha in 2012, striking out 118 batters and walking 67 in 136.2 innings pitched.

Here are the rest of the award winners for August:

• Northwest Arkansas (Double-A) -- Outfielder Yem Prades, right-hander Ethan Hollingsworth.

• Wilmington (High Class A) -- Infielder Orlando Calixte, right-hander Andy Ferguson.

• Kane County (Class A) -- Infielder Justin Trapp, right-hander Cody Fassold.

• Idaho Falls (Rookie) -- Infielder Diego Goris, right-hander Cory Hall.

• Burlington (Rookie) -- Infielder Mark Threlkeld, right-hander Christian Binford.

• Surprise (Rookie) -- Infielder Ramon Torres, right-hander Ashton Goudeau.

• Dominican (Rookie) -- Infielder Wander Franco, right-hander Andres Machado.

For more on the Royals, be sure to visit Royals Review. And, for additional coverage on prospects all around baseball, check out John Sickels' Minor League Ball.

Royals Vs. Rangers: Wednesday Night Lineups

The Kansas City Royals are set to play host to the Texas Rangers once again on Wednesday night, in the third game of a four-game series between the Royals and the two-time defending American League champions.

So far, the Royals and Rangers have both split the first two games of the series.

Both Ron Washington and Ned Yost have announced the starting lineups for Wednesday night's contest, and they are as follows:

Texas Rangers

DH Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
2B Michael Young
LF David Murphy
C Geovany Soto
1B Michael Olt

SP Ryan Dempster

Kansas City Royals

CF David Lough
SS Alcides Escobar
LF Alex Gordon
DH Billy Butler
C Salvador Perez
3B Mike Moustakas
RF Jeff Francoeur
1B Eric Hosmer
2B Johnny Giavotella

SP Everett Teaford

KC's lineup is a bit different from Tuesday night's, as David Lough draws the start in center field with the right handed Ryan Dempster on the mound for the Rangers.

For the latest on all things Royals, head over to Royals Review.

Royals Vs. Rangers Preview: KC Looks To Take Series Lead

The Kansas City Royals can guarantee at least a draw in their series against the Texas Rangers as they take the diamond for the third game of the four-game set on Wednesday. K.C. took the second game thanks to Jeremy Guthrie, after the Rangers won the series opener

Texas will send former Cubs hurler Ryan Dempster (4-1, 4.58 ERA with the Rangers) to the mound to face off against Everett Teaford (1-3, 4.30 ERA) from the Royals. Dempster has been enjoying his time with the Rangers since being traded at the deadline, picking up three wins in his last three games while loading up on strikeouts.Teaford will be making his first start for the Royals since July 8, following eight straight bullpen appearances for the lefty.

The game will be at Kauffman Stadium at 7:10 p.m. CT.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage, and check out Lone Star Ball for more on the Rangers. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Wil Myers Surprised By Monster Season For Royals

Highly-touted Kansas City Royals outfield prospect Wil Myers' monster, 37-homer season across Double A and Triple A earned the young slugger MInor League Player of the Year honors Tuesday. While the power might not have been a surprise to many, Myers himself told Fangraphs he was a bit surprised at just how productive he was.

"I don’t want to say that I’m surprised. If somebody had told me I was going to hit 30-plus home runs this year, I’d have thought it was maybe a stretch, but I also don’t want to take any credit away from my ability. I feel like I can go out there and do a lot of things. But yeah, it was a little bit of a surprise. I just wanted to go out and have a good year. I feel that I did have a good year."

Myers' 37 homers contributed to an impressive .313/.387/.600 line for the season.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage and visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Rangers Vs. Royals Final Score: Behind Guthrie's Steady Start, Kansas City Doubles Up Texas, 6-3

With starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie keeping the Texas Rangers in check most of the night, the Kansas City Royals took the second game of the series Tuesday night, 6-3.

Guthrie overcame a shaky start in which he gave up a home run to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus in the first inning and a RBI double to first baseman Mitch Moreland in the second. He didn't allow another run from that point, throwing seven innings and scattering five hits and two walks while ringing up five strikeouts in 102 pitches.

Shortstop Alcides Escobar and catcher Salvador Perez each knocked in RBI doubles for the Royals, while left fielder Alex Gordon and second baseman Johnny Giavotella both launched homers to pace a Kansas City offense that piled up 11 hits.

Giavotella's home run, coming off of pitcher Roy Oswalt in the sixth inning, was his first of the season.

Rangers starter Matt Harrison was chased from the game after 4.2 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs (three earned).

Kansas City reliever Greg Holland picked up his 11th save of the season, pitching a scoreless ninth.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage, and check out Lone Star Ball for more on the Rangers. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Royals Recall Reliever Jeremy Jeffress Once Again

The Kansas City Royals recalled relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress from Class AA Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday afternoon, according to a report from Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.

Jeffress, being recalled to the big leagues for the third time this season, has yet to allow an earned run during his time with the Royals, throwing 6.2 innings in eight appearances, allowing six walks and eight hits in that span.

A 24-year-old right-handed pitcher, Jeffress spent a majority of his time with Class AAA Omaha this season. He went 5-4 with an ERA of 4.97 in 37 games before getting optioned to Class AA Northwest Arkansas on Aug. 27. Jeffress was optioned at this point, reports Dutton, because players become available for return with the completion of their minor league team's season, which ended for Northwest Arkansas on Monday.

"It really helps to add another arm," manager Ned Yost said. "Because of the rainout (last Friday) and the double-header (on Saturday), we're using two of our long relievers in (tonight's) game."

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage and visit Baseball Nation for all things MLB.

Royals Vs. Rangers Lineups: Kansas City Looks To Rebound

After a tough 8-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on Labor Day that saw Yu Darvish retire the first 17 Kansas City Royals batters in order, the Royals will try for a better showing against Matt Harrison on Tuesday night.

Kansas City:

1. Lorenzo Cain (R) CF

2. Alcides Escobar (R) SS

3. Alex Gordon (L) LF

4. Billy Butler (R) 1B

5. Salvador Perez (R) C

6. Jeff Francoeur (R) RF

7. Mike Moustakas (L) 3B

8. Tony Abreu (S) DH

9. Johnny Giavotella (R) 2B

Texas:

1. Ian Kinsler (R) 2B

2. Elvis Andrus (R) SS

3. Josh Hamilton (L) CF

4. Adrian Beltre (R) 3B

5. Nelson Cruz (R) RF

6. Michael Young (R) DH

7. David Murphy (L) LF

8. Geovany Soto (R) C

9. Mitch Moreland (L) 1B

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage. Visit Baseball Nation all things MLB. Be sure to subscribe to SB Nation on YouTube for sports commentary and analysis.

Royals' Mike Moustakas Hopes To Continue Hot Streak

It's been a good homestand for Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas. After six games against Minnesota and Detroit, Moustakas was hitting .400 (10-for-25) with four doubles, four runs scored and five RBIs. He went 1-for-4 in Monday's loss to Texas.

The good homestand comes off the heels of a dismal 1-for-23 road trip for the young third baseman, which is in line with how the young slugger has fared all year. Going into Monday's game, Moustakas was hitting .298 at home and just .210 on the road, a split he found tough to describe to MLB.com.

"It's a crazy game," Moustakas said. "There's numbers for everything, and there's a lot of stuff that we can't explain as players. I don't look into that much. I love playing here. I love Kansas City. I try to get hits on the road, too, but it's just a crazy game."

The Royals face Matt Harrison and the Rangers for Game 2 of their series tonight at 7:10 at Kaufmann Stadium.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage. Visit Baseball Nation all things MLB. Be sure to subscribe to SB Nation on YouTube for sports commentary and analysis.

Ned Yost Sensed Potential Yu Darvish No-Hitter

In an 8-4 victory over the Royals, the Texas Rangers were led by pitcher Yu Darvish who gave a dominant performance. So dominant that in the third inning, Royals manager Ned Yost predicted that Darvish could finish the game with a no-hitter, according to Dick Kaegel of MLB.com:

"In the third inning, I turned to Chino [Cadahia, bench coach] and said, 'Boy, this guy's got a shot at a no-hitter today,'" Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He was throwing a 97-mile-an-hour fastball, then a 95 that was cutting, sinking, and a 92-mph split. He had a 68-to-64-mph curveball. The variations on his speeds were tremendous, his command was excellent."

Darvish remained perfect until two outs in the sixth inning when he walked Johnny Giavotella. Two hits followed and the Royals broke up both the no-hitter and shutout bids.

While Darvish finished with a perfect seventh inning as well, the Royals managed to get two more runs off reliever Mike Adams in the eighth. Regardless, the damage was done by that point.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage, and check out Lone Star Ball for more on the Rangers. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Royals Vs. Rangers: Kansas City Looks To Rebound On Tuesday

The Kansas City Royals didn't have the Labor Day they wanted, losing the first game of their four-game home series against the Texas Rangers 8-4 Monday afternoon. Texas' Yu Darvish out-dueled the Royals' Bruce Chen, with the Rangers hitting five home runs in the game.

On Tuesday Kansas City will look to bounce back, sending Jeremy Guthrie to the mound against the AL-leading Rangers. Guthrie's last start was a 2-1 win Thursday against Detroit. He gave up 10 hits but only one run in 7.1 innings. Guthrie is 6-12 on the season, but the Royals have won all of his last five starts.

Texas will send left-hander Matt Harrison (15-8, 3.30 ERA) to the mound. He was pulled in the sixth inning of his last outing against Tampa Bay on Wednesday after giving up 12 hits and seven runs.

The game is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT at Kauffman Stadium. You can watch it on Fox Sports Kansas City.

Head over to Royals Review for more Kansas City baseball coverage, and check out Lone Star Ball for more on the Rangers. Also visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Rangers Vs. Royals Final Score: Kansas City Flustered By Yu Darvish In 8-4 Loss

The Kansas City Royals came up short in their series opener with Texas on Monday afternoon, 8-4.