ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Jeremy Guthrie gave up a home run on his first pitch and not much else, pitching the Kansas City Royals past the Texas Rangers 6-3 Saturday night for their 24th win in 30 games.
Alex Gordon had two hits, including a first-inning homer for his 15th of the season, and made a diving catch in left field for the AL Central leaders.
Guthrie (10-10) won for the fifth time in six starts. Shin-Soo Choo hit a leadoff homer - after that, Guthrie blanked the Rangers on six more hits before leaving after the eighth. He struck out two and walked one.
The Royals broke a 1-all tie by scoring three runs in the fifth inning, capitalizing on the wildness of Nick Tepesch (4-8). He gave up three four-pitch walks and two singles that inning.
Jarrod Dyson drove in three runs, matching a career high, with a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single for the Royals.
Aaron Crow worked the ninth for Kansas City, allowing two runs.
Tepesch unsuccessfully sought a third consecutive quality start for the first time in his two-year career in the majors. He allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings.
With the bases loaded in the fifth, Tepesch walked Dyson and allowed a two-run single to Omar Infante on an 0-2 pitch.
Dyson chased Tepesch in the seventh with the two-run single on which Lorenzo Cain slid in with the second run. The safe call was confirmed by video replay following a challenge by Texas manager Ron Washington.
Choo's homer was his 14th leading off a game since the beginning of the 2012 season, most in the majors.
Texas' Adrian Beltre has his fourth consecutive multihit game.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Royals: 1B Eric Hosmer, out with a stress fracture on his right hand since Aug. 2, is expected to undergo another X-ray on Monday after the team returns home.
Rangers: LHP Derek Holland was scratched from a scheduled rehab start for Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday after experiencing back spasms Friday. Holland has been out since undergoing surgery on his left knee in January.
UP NEXT
Texas RHP Scott Baker (1-3) will make his fifth spot start of the season on Sunday in the regular spot of Yu Darvish, out since Aug. 9 with elbow inflammation. Baker has pitched only 7 2-3 innings since the All-Star break and will make his first start since July 13. He'll oppose LHP Jason Vargas (10-5), whose road ERA of 2.07 is fifth-lowest in the AL.
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