ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Jon Gray allowed two hits over five innings to rebound from his worst major league start and Wyatt Langford hit an eighth-inning grand slam that led the Texas Rangers over the Kansas City Royals 6-0 on Saturday.
Gray (3-3) gave up back-to-back third-inning singles while throwing 51 of 72 pitches for strikes. He gave nine earned runs and 11 hits in three innings-plus last Monday in a 14-2 loss to the New York Mets.
Langford, a rookie who debuted on opening day, connected off Angel Zerpa for the Rangers' first grand slam this season.
World Series champion Texas has won three straight following a five-game losing streak. Kansas City has lost 10 of 13, scoring 36 runs in those games.
Josh Smith hit a solo homer in the fourth off Michael Wacha (4-6) and Adolis Garcia hit a run-scoring comebacker inthe eighth as Marcus Semien slid home ahead of Zerpa's throw.
Jacob Latz, David Robertson and Brock Burke finished the three-hitter, just the third shutout against the Royals this season. Seventeen consecutive Kansas City batters were retired between Adam Frazier's third-inning single and pinch-hitter Nelson Velazquez's one-out single in the ninth.
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Wacha gave up three hits and one walk in five innings. It was his first start since May 31, when his left foot was fractured by a comebacker on his fourth pitch against San Diego.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rangers: 3B Josh Jung (fractured right wrist) will accompany the team on next week's trip and could be ready to play by midweek.
UP NEXT
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is to make his season debut in Sunday's series finale. Scherzer, 39, hasn't pitched for the Rangers since Game 3 of the World Series last fall. RHP Alec Marsh (5-4, 4.37 ERA) starts for the Royals after allowing a career-high seven runs in three innings in a loss at Oakland on Tuesday.
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