Texas Rangers vs Kansas City Royals – Live Game Blog

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Today is the first game of spring training for the Texas Rangers and the Kansas City Royals.   Last year the Rangers had a spring training record of 17-17-2.   Kansas City had a record of 25-7.  But don’t read too much not spring training records.

Keep checking back today, starting at 2:05 pm, we’ll live blog the game to keep you up-to-date.

Texas Rangers lineup:

• Shin-Shoo Choo/Peterson – LF
• Elvis Andrus/Wilson – SS
• Prince Fielder/Jim Adduci – FB
• Adrian Beltre/Castellanos – 3b
• Mitch Moreland/Jurickson Profar -DH
• Arencibia/Chirinos -C
• Adam Rosales/Lillibridge -2b
• Leonys Martin/Beltre E. – CF
• Yu Darvish – Starting pitcher

Kansas City Royals lineup:

• Norichika Aoki/Peguero RF
• Omar Infante/Giavotella 2B
• Eric Hosmer/Laird 1B
• Billy Butler/Bonifacio DH
• Alex Gordon/Maxwell LF
• Salvador Perez/Hayes Catcher
• Mike Moustakas/Valencia 3B
• Lorenzo Cain/Dyson CF
• Pedro Ciriaco/ Donald SS

1:01 PM – Field meeting

2:05 pm – Game under way

Top of the 1st

Bruce Chen strikes out Shin-Soo Choo.

Andrus grounds out.

Prince Fielder on one swing grounds out.

Bottom of the 2nd – Yu Darvish up.

Aoki up to bat, Darvish strikes him out.  Japanese media all over that at-bat.

Infante flies out to left fielder Shin-Soo Choo.  Two outs.

Broken bat- double by Hosmer

Yu Darvish strikes out Billy Butler (swinging) 2 strikeouts for Darvish

Top of the 2nd

Adrian Beltre doubles (1) on a sharp line drive to right fielder Norichika Aoki. None out.

Moreland singles, Beltre scores.  Rangers take a 1-0 lead.  Fielding error by Lorenzo Cain as Moreland advances to second.

JP Arencibia reaches on an throwing error.  2 errors by the Royals so far.

Base hit by Choice.  Arencibia goes from first to third.

Adam Rosales gets a single, Arencibia scores, Rangers lead 2-0.  Runners now on the corners.

Leonys Martin up to bat, hits a fly in shallow center.  2- outs

Shin-Soo Choo grounds out.  Chen tagged for 1 earned runs.  1 was unearned

Bottom of the 2nd 

Yu Darvish remains in the game.

Nasty 63 MPH slow curveball by Darvish, strike!

Darvish strikes out Alex Gordon, 3 strike outs now.  Picking up where he left off last year.

Perez gets a hit to right field.  Perez got the single off a 94 MPH 4-seam fastball.

Darvish strikes out Moustakas 81 MPH slider (4 strike outs now )

Cain, pops out.

Top of 3rd 

Pitching change – Danny Duffy LHP

Duffy uses the heat to strike out Andrus.  95 MPH then 96 MPH fastball.

Prince Fielder slams one out! HOME RUN. 3-0 Rangers

Maybe Duffy is shaken up…Beltre 3-0 at the moment.

Beltre walks.

Moreland went from a 3-1 count to striking out.  Duffy again used the heat.

JP Arencibia tried to knock one out, hits the wall.  Drives in Beltre.  Rangers 4-0.   Ball was hit about 400 ft just at the base of the wall.

Looks like Choice may have his second hit.  Hit Moustakas hard in the glove. No ruling yet.

Choice advances to second on a wild pitch

Adam Rosales grounds out, to Mike Moustakas

Bottom 3rd

Tommy Hanson to the mound

Ciriaco strikes out.  Hanson gets his fastball up to near 90 MPH

Error by Josh Wilson allows Aoki to reach first.  Wide throw.  Again, Hanson keeps his fastball up near 90 MPH

Aoki steals second.  Royals had 153 stolen bases last year.

Infante pops out (2 outs) Aoki on second.

Hosmer pops out to Lillibridge.  (Rangers 4-0)

Top 4th

Duffy still in.  Strikes out Leonys Martin.

Bryan Petersen  battles through 7 pitches, but strikes out on a 91 MPH fastball (Duffy has 4 strike outs)

Wilson grounds out.

Bottom 4th

Tommy Hanson returns

Billy Butler up to bat.

Hanson gets the walk after a full count.

Another error by the Rangers.  This time by Adduci, runners on the corners.

Sac fly by Perez gets the Royals on the board.  (Rangers 4-1)

Pitching change – Wilmer Font

Font walks Mike Moustakas.  Alex Gordon goes to 2nd.

Lorenzo Cain grounds into a force out.  They tried to turn the double play, not in time at first.  Runners at the corners.

Ciriaco grounds out

Top 5th

New pitcher-  Donnie Joseph

Adduci strikes out.

Castellanos up to bat. Strikes out

Profar up to bat.  DHing now for Moreland

Another error by KC, Profar reaches

Balk by Joseph advances Profar, Arencibia up to bat.

JP strikes out

Bottom 5th

Aoki grounds out.  Hit-less so far

Johnny Giavotella singles on a line drive to left field.

Laird hit by pitch, but barely.  It was off his foot.

Wilson had a chance to end it, but commits and error.  Both Tex and KC have 3 errors

Bases loaded now.  Very poor defensive game by both teams.

Brett Hayes grounds outs

Inning over

Top 6th

Scott Alexander replaces Donnie Joseph to start the inning

Alexander walks Snyder

Lillibridge flies out to center

Snyder attempts to steal, caught by Hayes

E. Beltre singles.  Would have been nice to have Snyder on base still, but now is the time to be aggressive.

Peterson lines out

Bottom 6th

Valencia homers off of Feierabend

Feierabend strikes out Jarrod Dyson

Donald grounds out.

Feierabend strikes out Peguero (Rangers 4-2)

Top 7th

Royals pitching change- Cory Wade

Josh Wilson makes up for that error by hitting a double to left field.

Jim Adduci executes a sac bunt to advance Wilson

Castellanos walks.

Profar singles, scores Wilson (Rangers 5-2)

Ward strikes out Chirinos

Snyder also gets redemption, doubles, scores Profar.

Lillibridge homers to center, Snyder scores (Rangers 9-2)

Bottom 7th

Justin Germano now in to pitch

Giavotella lines out to right field. 1 out

Laird up

High pop up by Laird just behind second. Sardinas has it.

Germano throws it way inside, Bonifacio.  Didn’t hit him, gets out of the way.

3rd baseman Alex Castellanos commits the 7th error of the game.  Bonifacio to first.

Some more scoring

Justin Maxwell hits a home run- scores 2 (Rangers 9-4)

Hayes lines out

Top 8th

Kelvin Herrera in to pitch

Herrera walks Petersen

Sardinas singles . Petersen scores and we add another error.  This time by KC 8 errors total.

Kouzmanoff grounds out

Passed ball scores Sardinas

Castellanos strikes out

Profar lines out

Bottom 8th

Justin Germano remains in the game, still pitching.

Valencia lines out

Dyson doubles a line drive to center

Donald singles on a line drive.  Runners on the corners

Peguero grounds out, Dyson scores, (Rangers 11-5)

Giavotella doubles on a line drive, Donald scores (Rangers 11-6)

Pitching change- Lefty Aaron Poreda now pitching.

Brandon Laird pops up, but it’s good for a single, scores another run (Rangers 11-7)

Bonifacio out

Top 9th

Malcom Culver now pitching.

Chirinos singles to center on a ground ball.

Culver  strikes out Snyder

Odor up to bat

Odor out, Rangers lead 11-7

Bottom 9th

7th pitcher for the Rangers. RHP Lisalverto Bonilla now pitching.

ANOTHER ERROR!  9 for the day

Throwing error Alex Castellanos (3rd baseman)

Game one almost in the books

Hayes flies out, Valencia strikes out.

Bonilla walks Jarrod Dyson

Rangers win an defensively ugly game.  5 errors by the Rangers, 4 by the Royals.