KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Errors by Alberto Gonzalez and Mike Olt in a three-pitch span allowed the tiebreaking run to score in the 10th inning, giving the Kansas City Royals a 7-6 victory over the slumping Texas Rangers on Sunday.
With the score 6-6, Michael Kirkman (0-2) walked Billy Butler leading off the 10th. Gonzalez, who entered in the ninth when Elvis Andrus left because of a sore shoulder, booted a routine grounder by Salvador Perez as pinch-runner Eric Hosmer advanced,
Jeff Francoeur took a ball and then grounded to third. Olt, who made his major league debut Thursday, threw the ball into right field as Hosmer came home.
Texas dropped to 13-15 since the start of July.
Greg Holland (4-3) threw 46 pitches in two innings, working around three hits and two walks.
Texas had threatened in the 10th, loading the bases with one out. But shortstop Alcides Escobar made a diving catch to his right of Mitch Moreland's line drive for the second out and Holland struck out Olt on a 3-2 pitch.
Olt walked leading off the ninth, stole second and took third on a throwing error by Perez, the Royals catcher. But Andrus failed to get a bunt down and Olt was out at home on the failed squeeze attempt.
Holland gave up six runs and eight hits in six innings — he allowed two homers, raising his total to nine in his last four starts.
Royals starter Luke Hochevar gave up five runs — one earned — and four hits in six innings. He threw first-pitch strikes to 15 of his first 16 batters.
Perez hit a two-run double with two outs in the first, but a throwing error by first baseman Billy Butler on David Murphy's grounder led to four unearned runs in a five-run fourth.
Adrian Beltre singled in a run, ending a streak of 12 games without an RBI — his longest since going 15 games without any starting the 2006 season. Beltre's hit scored Josh Hamilton, who led off the inning with a double, and stopped an 0-for-15 slide with runners in scoring position.
Olt hit a sacrifice fly to the right-field warning track with the bases loaded, and Andrus hit a two-run triple.
Butler singled in a run in the bottom half, Francoeur's fifth-inning homer cut the gap to 5-4 and Bryan Pena hit a two-run homer in the sixth to put the Royals back ahead. Four of Pena's 14 career home runs have been against the Rangers, his most against any club.
Michael Young's RBI double tied it 6-all in the seventh. Andrus attempted to score on Young's double, but was thrown out by Escobar on the relay from center fielder Jarrod Dyson.
NOTES: Rangers RHP Mark Lowe is scheduled to throw one inning Monday for Triple-A Round Rock on a rehab assignment. Lowe went on the DL June 29 with a right intercostal strain. ... LF Alex Gordon was not in the Royals lineup for the first time since April 9, a span of 102 consecutive starts. Lorenzo Cain, who had started 18 games in center and six in right, made his first start in left. ... RHP Yu Darvish, who has walked 20 in 31 2-3 innings in going 1-3 with a 6.82 ERA since July 1, will start Monday for the Rangers at Boston. "Command has always been the issue, not his stuff," manager Ron Washington said. "That's since he's been here. That's the one thing he's fighting. We're doing everything we can and he's doing everything he an. Sometimes it's a quick fix and sometimes it's not a quick fix." ... Royals RHP Luis Mendoza will start Monday at Chicago to begin a seven-game trip.
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