The Texas Rangers handed the Kansas City Royals a 12-3 loss at Surprise Stadium on Thursday in spring training play. Despite Kyle Isbel's 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI effort at the plate, the Royals could not overcome a sizable deficit. Michael Wacha worked 3.1 innings on the mound, allowing 5 earned runs on 6 hits. The Rangers out-hit the Royals 13-7 on the day. The loss is a minor bump as the Royals continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.
Key Performers
Kyle Isbel was the top performer at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI. His extra-base hit was a key moment in the game. The Royals will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.
Abraham Toro provided support, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, Drew Waters also contributed, going 2-for-4, and Peyton Wilson chipped in, going 1-for-2. The Royals showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.
On the other side of the diamond, Wyatt Langford led the Rangers offense with a 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI day. Josh Jung also contributed, going 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Andrew McCutchen added a 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI effort as well. The Rangers offense proved to be too much for the Royals pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Michael Wacha took the loss after running into trouble, working 3.1 innings while allowing 5 earned runs on 6 hits with four strikeouts. He threw 75 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 2.8 innings of work, allowing 7 earned runs while striking out six. The Royals continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting.
Among the relievers, Jonathan Heasley stood out with 0.2 innings of 2-run work, striking out two. It was an impressive showing that could factor into roster decisions.
How It Happened
Rangers got on the board first with a run in the first inning. Rangers pushed across two runs in the second. The Royals struck back with a run in the third. Rangers answered with four runs in the fourth. Rangers tacked on a run in the fifth. The Royals countered with two runs in the sixth. Rangers struck back with four runs in the seventh. The Rangers were able to score in five separate innings, keeping the pressure on throughout the contest. Rangers out-hit the Royals 13-7, with 2 errors committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 8,313 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
Despite the result, the Royals will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.