Royals win over Rangers takes winning tally to 6 in last 25 games

Jorge Soler belted a three-run homer and Adalberto Mondesi also went deep to highlight his three-hit performance as the visiting Kansas City Royals posted a 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday in Arlington, Texas. Texas native Ryan O'Hearn had two hits for the Royals, who overcame 16 strikeouts to record their second win in eight games overall and sixth in the last 25 against the Rangers.

Jakob Junis (4-5) worked around a pair of solo homers to allow just those two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts to pick up his first win since May 1 against Tampa Bay. Shin-Soo Choo belted a solo homer in the third inning and Nomar Mazara did the same in the sixth for the Rangers, who have lost four of their last six games.

Kansas City ignited its offence in the sixth inning as Mondesi and Alex Gordon each singled to set the stage for Soler, who deposited a first-pitch fastball from former Royals pitcher Mike Minor (5-4) off the left-field foul pole. Soler's homer was his second in as many games and extended his career-high total this season to 14. Mazara trimmed Kansas City's lead to 3-2 in the sixth after jumping on a 2-1 curveball from Junis and sending it over the wall in left field. Mazara's homer was his eighth of the season and second in three games.

Mondesi regained Kansas City's two-run lead in the seventh inning by sending a towering blast just inside the left-field foul pole. Two Royals relievers struck out three in two scoreless innings to bridge the gap to Ian Kennedy, who struck out a pair in the ninth for his third save.

Choo opened the scoring in the third inning by sending an 0-1 slider from Junis over the centre-field wall and up Greene's Hill. The homer was his 10th of the season and sixth in the last 13 games. The Royals drove up to the pitch count of Minor and reliever Jeffrey Springs by fouling off 21 balls in the sixth inning.