ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers wrapped up a perfect weekend at Globe Life Field on Sunday, defeating the Kansas City Royals 6-3 to complete a three-game sweep and extend their winning streak to three games.
Texas generated offense early and often, breaking the game open with a four-run first inning highlighted by timely two-out hitting. The Rangers scored four runs with two outs in the opening frame for the second time during the series, continuing a trend of fast starts that has fueled their recent success.
The offensive support was more than enough for right-hander Jack Leiter, who delivered one of the strongest performances of his young career. Leiter struck out 10 batters over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, matching a career high while allowing just three hits. The Royals did not record a hit until the fourth inning as the former first-round pick kept Kansas City hitters off balance throughout the afternoon.
Leiter’s outing helped extend a remarkable run by the Texas rotation, which has now compiled 22 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to last week. The Rangers have won each of Leiter’s last three starts, providing him with significantly more run support than he received earlier in the season.
Ezequiel Duran continued his breakout month with a two-run triple in the first inning that ignited the Rangers’ offense. Duran capped May with career-best production across several offensive categories, finishing the month as one of the American League’s most productive run producers.
Josh Jung also stayed hot at the plate, extending his hitting streak to six games. The third baseman collected two more hits, including a run-scoring double and a two-run single, further strengthening his case as one of the Rangers’ most consistent hitters this season. Jung leads Texas in multi-hit performances and doubles while maintaining one of the highest batting averages among qualified American League hitters.
Kyle Higashioka contributed an RBI double during the first-inning surge and later added a single for his fourth multi-hit game of the season. Alejandro Osuna chipped in with an RBI single and continued his strong stretch of reaching base consistently near the top of the lineup.
Kansas City struggled to recover after the early deficit. Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha, making the 300th start of his major league career, surrendered six earned runs over five innings and suffered the loss. The rough outing ended a streak of five consecutive quality starts.
The Royals managed to avoid the shutout with late offense. Lane Thomas delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning, while Michael Massey connected for a solo home run in the eighth. Massey finished with two hits, joining Bobby Witt Jr. as the only Kansas City players with multiple hits.
The loss continued a difficult stretch for the Royals, who have dropped six straight games and fallen 15 games under .500. Kansas City was swept for the second consecutive series and has now lost 16 of its last 19 contests.
Meanwhile, the Rangers completed their second undefeated series of the season and finished the weekend with 22 runs scored against Kansas City. Texas now heads to St. Louis for a three-game road series beginning Monday, seeking a fourth straight victory that would match its longest winning streak of the year.
