Yordano Ventura dazzles in Royals’ 6-0 win over Rangers

Yordano Ventura struck out six Rangers in six scoreless innings in a 6-0 victory. He allowed four hits and walked none. He also survived a few shaky moments: He hit a batter in the fourth and then balked. But the runner could not advance past second base.

Ventura also showed impressive efficiency. He needed just 73 pitches to finish six innings. It was a touch less dynamic than his previous outing, a torching of Oakland’s lineup last Wednesday. But this was still encouraging.

The Royals chased Texas starter Matt Harrison in the second inning. Mike Moustakas banged a curveball off the right-field wall for an RBI double. Lorenzo Cain plated with him a single in the next at-bat. And Nori Aoki reached on a throwing error by shortstop Elvis Andrus, a gaffe that allowed Cain to score.

Moustakas ignited another rally in the fourth. This time, he rifled a single off Joe Saunders, another left-hander. After a Cain single, Aoki ripped an RBI single up the middle. Johnny Giavotella roped an RBI single of his own.

The Royals tacked on their sixth run in the seventh. Billy Butler smashed an RBI double that scored Eric Hosmer from first base.

This story was originally published March 17, 2014 at 11:50 PM with the headline "Yordano Ventura dazzles in Royals’ 6-0 win over Rangers."