Matt Garza pitched eight innings for his first victory in six starts and the Texas Rangers kept close in the playoff race, beating the Royals 3-1 Saturday night to remain a half-game behind Cleveland for the second AL wild-card berth. Meanwhile, the Royals dropped 3 1/2 games in back of the Indians.
Adrian Beltre got two hits and drove in a run for Texas.
Garza (10-6) was 0-3 with an 8.22 ERA in his first three September starts. He pitched four-hit ball before giving up Eric Hosmer’s leadoff home run in the ninth and getting pulled.