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In a matchup of struggling offenses, the Texas Rangers broke out at the plate Friday to build some needed confidence and potential momentum. <\/p>\n
Following one of their most dominant performances of the season, the Rangers will try to hand the visiting Kansas City Royals a fifth straight defeat when the teams meet Saturday afternoon at Arlington, Texas. <\/p>\n
Texas had totaled 23 runs while losing six of its previous seven contests before rolling to a 9-1 victory over Kansas City in Friday\u2019s series opener. Five games under .500, the Rangers haven\u2019t won two games in a row since May 19-20. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think that with a good stretch of baseball, we could put ourselves in a very good position,\u201d Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young told the team\u2019s official website. <\/p>\n
While MacKenzie Gore allowed four hits over 6 1\/3 scoreless innings Friday, Ezequiel Duran\u2019s two-run single highlighted a four-run first inning that essentially put the game away. <\/p>\n
Brandon Nimmo and Nicky Lopez each hit a two-run homer, and Joc Pederson also went deep for the Rangers, who posted 10 hits to match their total from losing the previous two games. <\/p>\n
\u201cKeep fighting,\u201d Duran told the Rangers Sports Network. \u201cTry to win the game.\u201d <\/p>\n
Duran, stepping in at shortstop while star Corey Seager remains out with a lower-back injury, is 6-for-14 with four RBIs in the last four games. Pederson, meanwhile, has hit four of his seven home runs this season in the last four contests. <\/p>\n
Pederson is just 2-for-19 in his career against Saturday\u2019s scheduled Kansas City starter, right-hander Seth Lugo (2-4, 3.74 ERA), but one of those hits was a home run. <\/p>\n
Lugo, who is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA in three career appearances vs. Texas, was strong in his only two previous starts against Rangers. In 12 1\/3 combined innings in those outings last season, the veteran allowed three runs and six hits while striking out 14. <\/p>\n
Now, Lugo will eye a third straight quality start after he yielded three runs over 6 1\/3 innings in an 8-6 victory against Seattle on Sunday to earn his first winning decision since his season debut.<\/p>\n
However, if Lugo is to have a chance at another win, his Royals teammates must find a way to score. <\/p>\n
A loser in 14 of its last 17 games, Kansas City has only five runs during its four-game skid. It also hasn\u2019t helped that the Royals have allowed 31 runs and 42 hits, including 10 homers, in the last three games. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s frustration,\u201d Royals star Salvador Perez told the club\u2019s official website. \u201cWe need to prove that we\u2019re better. We need to figure it out. We\u2019ve got to win some games.\u201d <\/p>\n
Kansas City\u2019s Maikel Garcia had two hits Friday and is 10-for-28 in the last seven games. However, teammate and Dallas-area native Bobby Witt Jr. is 0-for-8 in the last two games and is batting .191 over the last 12. <\/p>\n
The Royals will get their first look at scheduled Rangers starter Kumar Rocker (2-5, 3.96 ERA) on Saturday. <\/p>\n
After throwing 12 2\/3 scoreless innings in his previous two outings, the right-hander gave up four runs, four hits and three walks in five innings of Monday\u2019s 9-0 loss to Houston.<\/p>\n
\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n