ARLINGTON, Texas — Ronald Guzman homered in his fourth straight start and drove in three runs, leading the Texas Rangers over the Kansas City Royals 8-4 on Friday night.
The rookie first baseman finished 2 for 4, including his sixth home run of the season. Guzman started three games against the New York Yankees earlier this week and homered in each, but struck out as a pinch-hitter against the Royals on Thursday night.
Nomar Mazara also had a homer and three RBIs for Texas, which has won three of the first five games of a seven-game homestand.
Mike Minor (4-3) gave up home runs to Mike Moustakas and Jorge Soler, but earned the victory that ended Kansas City's season-best three-game winning streak. Minor allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings. Keone Kela retired Salvador Perez on a flyout with the bases loaded for his 11th save in as many opportunities.
Royals lefty Eric Skoglund (1-5) allowed three home runs, all to left-handed batters. Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo homer in the first inning, Guzman gave the Rangers their first lead with a two-run shot in the fourth and Mazara added his 12th of the season in the fifth.
Moustakas had given the Royals a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with his 11th home run, a liner to right field.
Choo brought Texas within a run in the bottom of the inning with a line-drive homer into the corner of the right-center field bullpen.
The Rangers tied it in the third when Delino DeShields led off with a triple and scored as Mazara beat a double-play relay to first base on what would have been the third out.
Soler's two-out solo homer in the top of the fourth restored Kansas City's lead at 3-2.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Guzman hit a two-run homer, a towering fly ball into the right-field seats, to put Texas ahead for the first time at 4-3.
Mazara added a two-run homer in the fifth for a 6-3 lead. His opposite-field fly ball bounced off the top of the wall just inside the left-field foul pole.
Ramon Torres doubled home the Royals’ fourth run in the seventh.
Texas added two runs in the eighth on Guzman’s triple and a squeeze bunt by DeShields.
ASTROS 11, INDIANS 2 Jose Altuve tied it in the eighth inning with a two-run double off Andrew Miller and then scored the go-ahead run on Marwin Gonzalez’s squeeze bunt, and Houston scored 11 times in the final two innings to rout Cleveland. Houston scored three runs off Miller (1-3) during a four-run eighth before George Springer’s three-run homer helped make it a blowout in the ninth.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
PIRATES 8, CARDINALS 1 Joe Musgrove came off the disabled list to win his Pittsburgh debut with seven scoreless innings, and had his first career hit and scored the winning run against St. Louis. The right-hander singled to lead off the sixth inning, when the Pirates scored three times off John Gant (1-2) to break a scoreless tie. Musgrove came home on Josh Harrison’s double.
INTERLEAGUE
RED SOX 6, BRAVES 2 Mookie Betts hit his major league-leading 17th home run, J.D. Martinez slugged his 16th and the Boston Red Sox beat the Atlanta Braves, hours after a roster shakeup. Boston got its fifth win in six games shortly after designating Hanley Ramirez for assignment. The move freed up a roster spot for Dustin Pedroia to be activated from the DL, and also created the chance for regular playing time at first base for Mitch Moreland, who had a solo homer in the eighth.