Rangers shoot for sweep of Royals

Volquez made an unsuccessful major league debut on Tuesday, giving up six hits and five runs over 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the White Sox. The 22-year-old, who replaced C.J. Wilson on the roster, struck out three and walked two in losing effort. Volquez went 1-5 with a 4.14 ERA in 10 starts at Double-A Frisco before being called up. Kansas City will have lefthander Jimmy Gobble on the mound. Gobble will be making his first start of the season for the Royals after appearing in 22 games out of the bullpen. The southpaw was stretched out a bit on Tuesday, as he allowed four hits and a run over three innings in relief of Jose Lima. Gobble started 24 of his 25 appearances for the Royals in 2004, going 9-8 with a 5.35 ERA. Gobble has been terrific against the Rangers in the career, going 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA. The Rangers have won four straight, including the first three in this series. On Saturday, Texas posted a 5-3 win over the Royals, giving it its first four- game win streak since June 29-July 2. The Rangers haven't won five straight since taking nine in a row from May 20-31. Juan Dominguez pitched 7 1/3 strong innings to lead the Rangers on Saturday. Dominguez (3-3) was brilliant on the mound as he permitted just one run on two hits to earn the win. Dominguez, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, struck out two and walked four to win his third straight start. Adrian Gonzalez and David Dellucci each hit solo homers for the Rangers in the contest. Hank Blalock went 3-for-5 in the game, while Gonzalez and Mark Teixeira added two hits apiece. Kansas City starter D.J. Carrasco (5-8) was the loser after being charged with five runs on 10 hits over seven innings. Carrasco, who is 0-4 over his past seven starts, walked three and fanned one. Mark Teahen drove in a run and scored once for the Royals, who have lost eight of their last nine contests. Emil Brown posted two hits in the defeat. This is the ninth time in franchise history that the Royals have dropped 90 or more games. The Rangers, who took five of nine from the Royals last season, hold a commanding 8-1 advantage over Kansas City in 2005.

Source: http://www.wtev.com/