Heim, Semien lead Rangers to 12-3 win over KC, series sweep
Jonah Heim hit a three-run homer, Marcus Semien had three hits and drove in a pair of runs, and the Texas Rangers rolled to a 12-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday to wrap up a lopsided sweep of their three-game series.
Ezequiel Duran added a bases-clearing double, and Leody Taveras and Adolis García also drove in two runs apiece, helping the Rangers (12-6) win their fourth straight and match the fifth-best start in franchise history.
Martin Pérez (3-1) allowed three runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. He's gone at least five in 34 straight starts, the longest streak ever by a Rangers left-hander, though he allowed more than two runs for the first time this season.
It hardly mattered against the Royals.
They've been outscored 52-15 while losing six straight games, and they have lost nine of their last 10 to fall to 4-15 under first-year manager Matt Quatraro. Kansas City has won just once in 13 games at home this season.
Brady Singer (1-2) didn't give them much of a chance Wednesday. He allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while using 97 pitches just to get through five innings. He had four strikeouts, two of them coming on full-count pitches.
Singer looked like he was developing into a staff ace last season, but this year has been a struggle. The young right-hander allowed eight runs on 10 hits in his last start against Atlanta, and he's allowed 18 runs over 16 innings in his last three outings.
Just like the previous night, when the Rangers jumped on erratic Royals starter Brad Keller, they took advantage of Singer's early trouble finding the strike zone to jump to a 3-0 lead by the end of the second inning.
Semien led off the game with the first of his three singles and Travis Jankowski worked a four-pitch walk before Garcia's sacrifice fly gave Texas a 1-0 lead. Then in the second, Heim drew a leadoff walk before scoring on a double by Taveras, who proceeded to score when Semien sent a single to right field for a 3-0 lead.
Taveras and Semien also drove in runs in the fourth as the Rangers pushed their advantage to 5-1.
The Royals scratched out two runs in the sixth to make it a game, but the Rangers answered with four in the seventh — the binge beginning with a free base due to catcher's interference — before Duran's punctuating three-run shot in the ninth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rangers: RHP Jacob deGrom (wrist soreness) had no discomfort while playing catch Wednesday and expects to make his next scheduled start. DeGrom left Monday's game in Kansas City after four hitless innings. "We'll continue to watch him," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said, "but all went well today."
UP NEXT
Both teams are off Thursday. The Rangers will be back at home Friday night and send RHP Jon Gray (1-1, 3.21 ERA) out for the opener of a three-game series against Oakland. The Royals will be in Los Angeles the same night to face the Angels.
