Gallo leaves with injury as Rangers beat Royals

Texas outfielder Joey Gallo hit a two-run home run but came out of the game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left oblique as the Rangers beat the visiting Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Saturday in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers have won 21 of the past 26 games against the Royals, dating to July 2016.

Gallo left during the middle of an at-bat, with a 3-2 count, after reaching for his side after checking his swing. He hit his 17th home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth. Lance Lynn (7-4) gave up two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings to beat the Royals for the second time in as many chances this season. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.

Homer Bailey (4-6) lasted just 3 2/3 innings for Kansas City, running into trouble in the fourth when the Rangers broke a scoreless tie with four runs. Gallo launched a Bailey offering 431 feet into the seats in right centre, driving in Hunter Pence. After allowing a single to Asdrubal Cabrera and a double to Ronald Guzman, Bailey gave up a sacrifice fly to Jeff Mathis and a double to Shin-Soo Choo to end his day.

Bailey allowed four runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out three. The Royals got a run off Lynn in the fifth but had a chance for more. Lynn hit Jorge Soler with a pitch, followed by a one-out single by Cheslor Cuthbert. Martin Maldonado then lined a double off the wall in left, scoring Soler and giving the Royals two runners in scoring position with one out. But Lynn squelched the rally on a pair of groundouts.

The Rangers added an unearned run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Elvis Andrus. The Royals got back-to-back doubles by Ryan O'Hearn and Cam Gallagher to score a run in the seventh, and the Rangers got that run back in the eighth on an RBI single by Nomar Mazara.

--Field Level Media