Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke needed just 27 pitches to get through three scoreless innings. He retired nine of 10 batters, allowing only a single. Greinke struck out three as 19 of 27 pitches went for strikes as the Royals beat the Rangers 4-2.

Billy Butler was 1-for-3 with an RBI double in the first inning. Rick Ankiel tripled to left-center in the third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Alberto Callaspo and then Ankiel threw out Nelson Cruz trying to go from second to third on a line-drive single by Chris Davis in the fifth. Cruz held up to see if the ball would be caught.

The Royals will play the Rangers for the third game in a row on Saturday.