Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Kansas City Royals (22-29) @ Texas Rangers (33-20) Rangers Ballpark in Arlington - Friday, May 31, 2013 - 7:05 p.m. Game #52 - Road Game #28 FOX Sports Kansas City & KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Saturday, June 1 @ Texas Rangers: RHP James Shields (2-6, 2.96) vs. RHP Nick Tepesch (3-4, 3.88), 3:05 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Sunday, June 2 @ Texas Rangers: RHP Ervin Santana (3-5, 3.33) vs. Yu Darvish (7-2, 3.03), 2:05 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Monday, June 3: Off day at home Tuesday, June 4 vs. Minnesota Twins: TBA vs. TBA, 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Wednesday, June 5 vs. Minnesota Twins: TBA vs. TBA, 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Thursday, June 6 vs. Minnesota Twins: TBA vs. TBA, 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Every game can be heard in Kansas City on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) with Royals’ Hall of Famer Denny, Matthews and Steve Stewart mikeside tonight, while Don Free controls the dials as the producer/engineer...tonight’s game is being televised in High Definition by FOX Sports Kansas City with Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler describ- ing the action...the pre and postgame show on FSKC, Royals Live, is hosted by Joel Goldberg, who is joined by Royals’ Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery. Royals vs. Rangers ROYALS RALLY THROUGH RAIN, PAST CARDINALS TO STOP SLIDE--The Royals rallied from Kansas City’s first regular season look at their spring com- a one-run deficit with three in the top of the ninth, but had to wait out a 4-hour, 32-minute rain delay to plex mates will be tonight here in Arlington, the first of a 3-game clinch a 4-2 victory and end an 8-game losing streak early this morning in St. Louis...after being held set against the Rangers to wrap-up this 5-game road trip...KC and to one run on two hits through the first eight innings, Kansas City used a solo shot by Jeff Francoeur Texas will meet 6 times this year, with the Rangers heading to to tie the game at two and then took the lead on Eric Hosmer’s two-run double with the bases loaded... Kauffman Stadium in September...the Royals were 4-5 vs. Texas just moments after Hosmer’s RBI hit, the skies opened and unleashed a downpour that lasted well into last year, going 2-0 in Arlington and 2-5 in “The K.” the early morning hours...when play resumed at approximately 3:02 a.m., Greg Holland recorded three Date Site Score WP LP Att. quick ground outs in the bottom of the ninth, for his first save since May 1...St. Louis scored two runs 5/31 @ Tex 6/1 @ Tex off KC starter Jeremy Guthrie in the first inning, however Guthrie and the Royals bullpen blanked the 6/2 @ Tex ‘birds over the final 8 innings...Louis Coleman earned his first major league victory since 2011, pitching 9/20 KC 1.1 innings of scoreless relief...Elliot Johnson plated KC’s first run with a two-out RBI single in the 9/21 KC fifth, scoring Lorenzo Cain, who had doubled with one out...the Royals snapped an eight-game skip, the 9/22 KC team’s longest since dropping 12-straight from April 11-24 of last year. FRENCHY ENDS LONGBALL DROUGHT--Jeff Francoeur’s ninth-inning home run last night not only tied the game at 2-2, it ended a 59-inning drought without a homer for the Royals...KC had gone without a roundtripper since Miguel Tejada’s third-inning solo shot against the Angels on May 24, the team’s longest dry spell since it went 65 innings between home runs April 5-14, 2011...Frenchy also ended a 118 at-bat drought of his own when he took Minnesota’s Josh Roenicke deep on April 10 of this season. CARDIAC KIDS--The Royals made a habit of coming from behind early in the season and it continued last night in the win in St. Louis...KC scored three times in the top of the ninth to earn their 14th come-from-behind win of the season and sixth victory in their final turn at bat...it was the team’s second win after trailing through 8 innings and first since a 6-5 extra-inning over Chicago on Cinco de Mayo. HITS SCARCE IN WIN--KC’s offense produced just four hits last night with the final three producing runs...the Royals did not have a baserunner until a one-out double by Lorenzo Cain in the fifth inning...he ended up scoring on a two-out single by Elliot Johnson...KC’s ninth-inning rally included a solo home run, a two- run single, three walks (two intentional), a hit by pitch and an error...last night marked the fewest hits in a Royals victory since KC’s 4 hits on June 20, 2012 were enough to get by Houston, 2-1. GUTHRIE GUTS IT OUT--Despite allowing 8 hits in his 6.0 innings of work, Jeremy Guthrie kept the Royals in position to win by allowing just two first-inning runs last night...Jeremy’s biggest frame was the second, when the Cards loaded the bases with one out on two singles and a walk...however, Guthrie recorded an out at the plate on a comebacker by Matt Holliday and a line out to second off the bat of Allen Craig...from that point on, he retired 12 of the final 14 men he faced, stranding 7 runners on the night...he also fanned 6, his highest total since an April 16 start at Atlanta. BULLPEN BOUNCES BACK--After a rough 8th inning on Wednesday night, the Royals bullpen was nearly flawless last night...KC’s tandem of Tim Collins, Louis Coleman and Greg Holland held the Cards hitless over the final 3.0 innings, allowing two walks...Coleman earned his first Major League victory since July 25, 2011 in Boston, while Holland picked up his first save since May 1 against Tampa Bay. RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY--Unfortunately, rain at the ballpark has been a familiar sight for the Royals this season...the team had 4 of its first 30 scheduled games postponed due to rain and several others delayed by weather...last night’s game was delayed a total of 5 hours and 32 minutes after first pitch was held up by an hour due to Mother Nature...KC players were so anxious to get the game going after the second delay that left fielder Alex Gordon and starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie among others helped the Busch Stadium groundscrew by carrying bags of Diamond Pro out to problem areas on the infield...the scheduled start time last night was 7:15 p.m., but the game was not completed until 3:14 a.m., this morning. TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Wade Davis (3-4, 5.71) vs. LHP Derek Holland (4-2, 2.97) 2012 2011 Career 2013 2012 Career Wade Davis vs. Rangers 1-0 0-1 1-2 Major League Record 3-4 (5.71 ERA) 3-0 31-26 Derek Holland vs. Royals 0-0 1-0 1-1 Major League Record 4-2 (2.97 ERA) 12-7 43-31 WADE DAVIS is making his 11th start as a Royal in tonight’s series opener...this is his third career start (sixth appearance) against the Rangers and 129th career big league outing (75th start)...he was acquired in a 7-player deal with Tampa Bay on December 9, 2012 that involved James Shields and Elliot Johnson. THREE-RUN SEVENTH LEADS TO LOSS--Wade blanked the Angels through Wade’s 2013 Starts 6.0 innings on Sunday in KC, but Josh Hamilton homered to begin the seventh and 2 DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT walks followed, with both runners scoring after Wade’s departure...L.A. tacked on a 4/5 at Philadelphia ND, 13-4 4.0 9 4 4 2 0 2 76-50 0-4 4/10 Minnesota W, 3-0 5.0 4 0 0 0 3 6 96-61 1-0 pair of runs in the eighth due to a walk and a hit batter, winning 5-2...Davis allowed 3 4/17 at Atlanta W, 1-0 7.0 5 0 0 0 0 7 92-62 1-0 runs, 6 hits and 2 walks over 6.1 innings, dropping to 3-4 on the year and 1-3 at home. 4/24 at Detroit L, 5-7 3.2 8 7 3 0 4 2 95-50 4-7 4/29 Cleveland L, 0-9 4.2 12 8 8 2 3 3 93-57 0-8 LAST WIN AGAINST HALOS--Wade's third win of the year was on May 15 at 5/5 Chicago ND, 6-5 6.0 5 1 1 0 3 5 98-63 3-1 Angel Stadium...KC built an 8-0 lead, with Davis allowing 4 runs, 9 hits and 3 walks 5/10 N.Y. Yankees L, 6-11 5.0 7 7 7 2 2 3 95-62 5-5 5/15 at Los Angeles W, 9-5 5.1 9 4 4 0 3 2 103-60 8-3 over 5.1 innings in a 9-5 outcome.