Kansas City gave up just four hits on Saturday night, but it still wasn't enough as the Texas Rangers held on for a 3-1 victory in Arlington. The Royals were haunted by leaving runners on base throughout the game, including two runners reaching in the first three innings, with none of them coming around to score.
Kyle Davies started for Kansas City and went six innings, giving up three runs on four hits (though only two were earned), while striking out three and walking one. He fell to 1-2 and sits with a 6.23 ERA, though he has shown improvement in his last two starts striking out ten, while walking just one.
Kansas City put together seven hits, but scored just one run as Kila Ka`aihue lead off the seventh with a 445 foot home run to the upper deck in right field. It was Ka`aihue second home run of the season, and the first basement struck out two other times on the evening and is now batting .194 on the season.
Ka'aihue's home run came off Rangers starter Alexi Ogando who went six innings, allowing the lone run on five hits. He struck out five Royals, often getting Royals batters to chase the high fastball.
Bright spots offensively for Kansas City were Melky Cabrera going 3-for-4 at the plate, and Alex Gordon extending his hitting streak to 17 games, with a single in the first inning. Gordon is now batting .360/.409/.535 for the Royals.
It was good seeing Louis Coleman pitch the 9th inning for Kansas City as he had a perfect inning, striking out two Rangers. Coleman who was called up Thursday from AAA Omaha was making just his second appearance, and the television crew routinely show Coleman's father in the stands showing emotion with each Coleman pitch. His father, a farmer from Slaughter, Mississippi and the rest of his family had driven to Kansas City on Thursday and made it in time to see Coleman's major league debut. The family then followed drove to the Dallas metro for the weekend in hopes of seeing Coleman pitch again. The rookie, a former LSU start, will figure heavily into the plans for the Royals bullpen from this point into what hopes to be a long future.
Kansas City falls to 12-9, and 3-4 on the road this season, while the Rangers moved to 13-7. The two teams will finish their series this afternoon at 2:05 with Bruce Chen facing C.J. Wilson in what figures to be a solid Easter Sunday matchup on the mound.
Texas is now 1.5 games ahead of the Angels in the West Division, while Kansas City sits in the second place in the Central, 1.5 games behind Cleveland. Detroit is third, one game behind the Royals.