Royals find rhythm in 6-3 victory over Rangers

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Jun 18, 2025

Published in Baseball

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During his team’s most recent homestand, Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro pondered aloud the state of Kansas City’s offense.

The Royals had struggled to score with runners in scoring position. And there were too many instances of guys left stranded on the basepaths.

“We need a three-run double or three-run homer to take the pressure off getting three or four hits in an inning to score,” Quatraro said then.

Well, the manager got his wish on Wednesday. In the third inning at Globe Life Field, Maikel Garcia blasted a three-run homer off Rangers starter Patrick Corbin as the Royals won 6-3 — their second straight victory after six straight home losses.

Maikel Garcia lifted a 90.8 mph sinker over the left-center field wall. It was his eighth home run of the season and a certified big hit.

Garcia’s home run erased a two-run deficit created by left-handed starter Kris Bubic. It also capped a four-run frame, a rarity in recent games.

Garcia, who finished the evening 3 for 4, is now batting .318 with eight homers and 36 RBIs this season.

The Royals (36-38) have relied on homers in this series. Salvador Perez hit two on Tuesday and Bobby Witt Jr. added one, too. That sort of power has been missing during the Royals’ stagnant stretches this season.

The last two games have been different. The Royals have expanded leads and climbed back into games with one swing.

Now, they are in a position to earn a series sweep. Their last road sweep was April 29-May 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays at George Steinbrenner Field.

Bubic holds lead

The Rangers came out swinging early. Leadoff hitter Sam Haggerty tripled to begin the game and Wyatt Langford recorded an RBI double.

Two batters later, Adolis Garcia hit an RBI single to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

Bubic, who entered the game with a 1.92 ERA, needed to keep the game close. And he answered that challenge throughout the rest of his start. Bubic worked 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts en route to his sixth victory of the year.

The Rangers had nine hits, but Bubic was able to work out of most of the trouble he encountered. In the fifth inning, he worked around Adolis Garcia’s double to strike out Josh Jung and preserve a one-run advantage.

The Royals held a 4-3 lead into the eighth inning. Then, Maikel Garcia hit an RBI triple — he finished a double shy of the cycle — to extend Kansas City’s lead.

The Royals scored twice in the eighth inning to give themselves some separation. And the bullpen did its job, with Steven Cruz and then closer Carlos Estévez coming in to shut the door.

Estévez picked up his 20th save.

Erceg escapes trouble

The Royals nearly lost their lead in the seventh inning. Top reliever Lucas Erceg came on to pitch and found himself in a tough spot.

He allowed a leadoff double to Langford and a single to second baseman Marcus Semien a few batters later. Then, after throwing a pitch, Erceg appeared to experience some discomfort.

Langford represented the tying run at third base. After a quick check by the Royals’ trainers, Erceg remained in the game and got Adolis Garcia to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Erceg now has 13 holds this season.

What’s next

The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Rangers on Thursday afternoon. Right-hander Michael Wacha (3-6, 3.38 ERA) will make the start. The Rangers haven’t announced a starting pitcher for the game.

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