Key facts
- Corey Seager homered and singled to lead the Texas Rangers to a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
- The Rangers reached .500 for the first time since May 1, with a record of 34-34.
- Texas has won nine of its last 12 games and four consecutive series.
- Brandon Nimmo's RBI double and Elias Díaz's squeeze bunt single gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
- Seager hit his ninth home run in the third inning off Royals starter Michael Wacha.
- Kansas City scored two runs in the fourth inning to tie the game.
Corey Seager's home run and single powered the Texas Rangers to a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, marking the first time the Rangers have reached .500 since May 1. The win improved their record to 34-34 and extended their streak to nine wins in 12 games and four consecutive series.
The Rangers took an early 2-0 lead with an RBI double from Brandon Nimmo in the first inning and Elias Díaz's squeeze bunt single in the second. Seager then hit his ninth home run into the right field bullpen off Royals starter Michael Wacha to extend the lead in the third.
Kansas City responded in the fourth, loading the bases against Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker and scoring two runs on a double-play grounder and Kameron Misner's RBI single. Rocker departed with two outs in the fifth, having allowed two runs and five hits. Jacob Latz (2-1), the final of three Texas relievers, struck out three batters in two hitless innings to secure the win.
Evan Carter added an RBI single in the sixth to cap the scoring for the Rangers. Joc Pederson was absent from the Rangers' lineup due to left hip discomfort sustained on Wednesday.
Wacha (4-5) was charged with four runs and nine hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out two. The Royals have now lost six consecutive starts by Wacha, with the team scoring three or fewer runs in each of those games.