ARLINGTON, Texas -- Alex Gordon's solo home run into the right-field stands off Stolmy Pimentel leading off the 10th inning carried the Royals to a 7-6 victory over the Rangers before 23,659 Tuesday night at Globe Life Park.
How it happened: Adrian Beltre ripped a game-tying single with two out in the ninth inning, but before the Rangers had a chance to relax, Gordon hit the first pitch he saw from Pimentel an estimated 353 feet. Having blown a save opportunity in the ninth, Royals closer Greg Holland made good on a second try.
Struggling closers: Rangers closer Neftali Feliz was touched for one-out singles in the ninth inning by Alcides Escobar and Mike Moustakas. Lorenzo Cain's grounder to second base allowed Escobar to score from third, breaking a 5-5 deadlock. Holland ran into his own problems in the bottom of the inning, giving up a run.
Mistake pitch: Ahead 0-2 in the count, a breaking ball from left-handed reliever Alex Claudio caught much more of the plate than intended. Moustakas pounded the mistake 410 feet for a 5-4 Royals lead in the seventh inning.
Softly done: Kyle Blanks' third hit of the night, a looper to right field with two out in the seventh, allowed the Rangers to tie the score again, this time at 5-5. Blanks, in a bit of a downturn of late after a hot start, doubled and scored the fourth Rangers run.
Rough patch: Rangers starter Nick Martinez was sailing along toward a third victory until the Royals put three solid hits together to begin the sixth. Martinez received no decision. He limited the Royals to six hits and three earned runs.
Shift-breaker: Prince Fielder began the game with the third-highest home batting average (.396) in the American League in part because he is using all of the field this season. In the third inning, Fielder went with an outside pitch and lined it in the vacated area caused by the shift for an RBI that gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead.
Fielder made it 3-1 in the fifth by hoisting another wide offering from Edinson Volquez to center for a sacrifice fly.
Rally starter: Rookie Delino DeShields Jr. drew leadoff walks in the third and fifth innings, stole second base each time and eventually scored. Starting in place of the injured Leonys Martin (wrist) in center, DeShields extended his streak to nine stolen bases without being caught.
Wasting no time: Shin-Soo Choo extended his hitting streak to a team-high 12 with a leadoff home run. The 355-foot drive hugged the right-field line for the Rangers' first leadoff homer of the season. The last Ranger to hit a leadoff homer was Martin last September. Choo’s last leadoff homer also came against the Royals last August.
Baserunning blunder: Choo, running on the pitch, unwisely tried to go from first to third on Elvis Andrus' single to left field with no outs in the seventh and Texas trailing 5-4. Not a good move. The ball was waiting in third baseman Moustakas’ glove when Choo made his slide.
Ups and downs: Shortstop Andrus charged hard and made a bare-handed pickup to retire Salvador Perez with a nice play in the second inning. In the Royals’ three-run sixth, Andrus ranged behind the bag to grab another Perez grounder, but the shortstop’s sidearm throw pulled Fielder off the bag for an error. The miscue led to the unearned run that gave the Royals a 4-3 lead. ... Rangers outfielders Carlos Peguero and DeShields came up empty on attempts for diving catches.
Clutch DP: Reliever Shawn Tolleson got out of a tight situation in the eighth thanks to a double play started by Beltre featuring an efficient turn by second baseman Tommy Field.
What’s next: Game 3 of the series, set for 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Globe Life Park, matches right-handers Yovani Gallardo (2-5, 4.19 ERA) of the Rangers and Yordano Ventura (2-2, 5.13) of the Royals. Gallardo will be looking to end a string of four straight losses, matching the longest of his career.
