The Kansas City Royals were held to 2 runs on 6 hits as they were edged 3-2 by the Texas Rangers Wednesday night in Arlington.
The Rangers got out to a 3-0 lead with runs in the 2 nd , 5 th , and 6 th innings. The Royals responded with a pair of runs in the top of the 7 th , both coming on a two run blast by John Buck, his 18 th home run of the season.
Texas starter Vicente Padilla (5-9) pitched 6 shutout innings for the win, allowing just 2 hits. Joaquin Benoit tossed a perfect inning for his 3 rd save.
The Royals (62-77) have an off-day Thursday before opening a weekend series with the New York Yankees at Kauffman Stadium. In Friday’s opener Gil Meche (7-12) takes the mound against the Bronx Bombers’ Ian Kennedy (1-0).