ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Jason Hammel struck out 10, Drew Butera and Salvador Perez homered, and the Kansas City Royals held on to beat the Texas Rangers 5-3 Sunday.
Hammel (2-5) pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings. He gave up four hits, including three doubles, and two walks.
Perez and Butera each homered off Cole Hamels (3-5), who allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings with a season-low two strikeouts. Hamels didn’t give up more than two earned runs in any of his five previous starts.
Hammel left with runners on the corners and one out. Jurickson Profar grounded into an inning-ending double play on Tim Hill’s second pitch.
Kelvin Herrera pitched a scoreless ninth inning after allowing a leadoff single for his 11th save in 12 chances.
The Rangers’ runs came on seventh-inning homers by Joey Gallo, his 15th of the season with one on, and Robinson Chirinos, his seventh.
Texas went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position, 0 for 7 during the first three innings.
Royals rookie Hunter Dozier, who grew up about 45 miles north of Globe Life Park in Denton, Texas, had a two-out, two-run single in the first inning and his third straight multihit game.
When Hammel held St. Louis to one run in seven innings to win last Wednesday, it ended a string of 13 winless starts for the 35-year-old. He went into Sunday’s game leading the American League in hits allowed with 71.
Butera, who caught while Perez was the designated hitter, sliced a solo home run down the right-field line in second inning. It was Butera’s first homer of the year and the first of his 17 career homers that went to the opposite field.
Perez’s home run, his ninth of the season, was a two-run shot pulled into the visitors’ bullpen in the third inning.
SHORT HOPS
Hammel struck out a career-high 11 on June 1, 2015, at Miami while with the Chicago Cubs. . Jon Jay has hit in nine straight games and 18 of his last 19. . Nomar Mazara’s two-out walk in the bottom of the first was the first issued by Hammel in 62 consecutive batters. . Hamels’ 11 combined hits and walks were his most this season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: With LHP Eric Skoglund (left UCL sprain) placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday, rookie RHP Brad Keller will make his first major league start Wednesday vs. Minnesota.
Rangers: LHP Matt Moore (right knee) will be activated off the 10-day DL and start Wednesday at Seattle.
UP NEXT
Royals RHP Jakob Junis (5-3) has 14 wins in his first 30 career appearances, tied for the most in franchise history with Rich Gale (1978) and Jose Rosado (1996-97).
Rangers RHP Doug Fister (1-4) has allowed 15 earned runs in his last four starts, raising his ERA from 2.88 to a season-high 4.22.
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