Texas Rangers vs Kansas City Royals: LIVE In-Game Updates, Reaction, Chat, and Community
SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Rangers kick off Cactus League play today in Surprise as they take on the Kansas City Royals. Keep up with all the action here, with live in-game updates and reactions. You can also engage in the comments section with questions and comments on the game.
Texas Rangers (0-0) @ Kansas City Royals (0-0)
Friday, February 21, 2020
1:05 PM MT (2:05 PM CT)
Surprise Stadium | Surprise, AZ
Probables:
LHP Kolby Allard (TEX) vs RHP Jorge Lopez (KC)
Texas Rangers Starting Lineup
CF Danny Santana
SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa
1B Ronald Guzman
3B Todd Frazier
LF Scott Heineman
C Jose Trevino
DH Sherten Apostel
RF Adolis Garcia
2B Andy Ibanez
Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup
CF Whit Merrifield
LF Alex Gordon
DH Salvador Perez
RF Jorge Soler
3B Maikel Franco
1B Ryan McBroom
SS Matt Reynolds
C Cam Gallagher
2B Humberto Arteaga
Texas Rangers Scheduled Pitchers
LHP Kolby Allard (starting)
LHP Taylor Hearn
RHP Luis Garcia
RHP Derek Law
RHP Jimmy Herget
RHP Taylor Guerreri
LHP Kyle Bird
RHP Arturo Reyes
LHP James Jones
Around The Clubhouse
Kolby Allard
On starting today:
"I feel really good. Body feels strong, arm feels good. Mentally, I'm in a good place, so I feel really good. I'm ready to get after it."
On taking advantage of opportunities:
"In baseball, opportunities are limited anyway. Any time if you go out there, if you're not playing like you've got a fire under your a**, you're not going about it the right away."
Ronald Guzman
On games starting today:
"I'm very excited. Yesterday, I was like, 'Oh man, we have a game tomorrow,' so I was pretty pumped up about that. I definitely feel ready, I'm definitely hungry. This is the moment I've been waiting for."
Scott Heineman
On what he worked on in the offseason:
"I mainly worked on just being a baseball player. In years past, it was always about how strong can I get, how fast can I get. Obviously, those things are important, they help you in baseball, but this offseason was predicated on what can I do to get more advanced in baseball."
Injury Report
Kyle Gibson (ulcerative colitis)
Ahead of expectations. He has a live bullpen session tomorrow.
Robinson Chirinos (right hamstring strain)
Injured the hamstring in January. He's about a week behind. He will look to get into games next week.
Sam Travis (right hamstring strain)
Injured the hamstring in January. He's about a week behind.
Yohander Mendez (shoulder inflammation)
Re-evaluate after the weekend.
Ariel Jurado (shoulder soreness)
Live bullpen session scheduled for Sunday.
Brock Burke (left shoulder impingement)
Still in rehab program, which is still in the long toss stage. At this point, he's unlikely to start the season. No target date set yet.
Rangers Manager Chris Woodward Addresses the Media
12:23 PM (local time): It's getting close to that time, y'all.
1:03 PM: The Kansas City Royals take the field.
1:06 PM: PLAY BALL! Danny Santana steps up to the plate and takes ball one.
1:09 PM: The Rangers go 1-2-3. Santana and Kiner-Falefa groundout to shortstop and Guzman strikes out looking.
1:17 PM: HOME RUN: After striking out Alex Gordon, Allard walks Perez on four pitches, then gives up a two-run home runs to Jorge Soler on a 2-1 pitch. 2-0 Royals.
1:19 PM: Maikel Franco grounds out to shortstop to end the first inning. 2-0 Royals lead.
1:24 PM: Scott Heineman gets the first Rangers hit of the game with an infield single.
1:25 PM: Heineman gets caught stealing second base. 2-4 putout.
1:26 PM: Trevino grounds out to third base to end the top of the 2nd inning. 2-0 Royals lead.
1:28 PM: Eli White takes over for Danny Santana in center field. Taylor Hearn takes the mound for the 2nd inning.
1:34 PM: Taylor Hearn with an impressive inning, sitting down the Royals in order, striking out two batters swinging. To the bottom of the 2nd, Royals lead 2-0.
1:36 PM: RHP Stephen Woods Jr. comes in to pitch for the Royals.
1:41 PM: Sherten Apostel strikes out swinging, Adolis Garcia has a hit taken away by Franco on a hard-hit grounder to third base, and Andy Ibanez grounds out to third base. The Royals have faced the minimum through three innings. To the bottom of the third, Royals lead 2-0.
1:48 PM: INJURY: Rangers center fielder Danny Santana left today's game as a precaution with left calf tightness.
1:50 PM: Luis Garcia pitches the third inning for Texas, retiring the side in order with a flyout to right field and two groundouts. After three innings, Royals lead 2-0.
1:55 PM: Eli White strikes out swinging, Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounds out to 2nd base, and Ronald Guzman strikes out swinging. Rangers not doing very much with the bats so far. To the bottom of the fourth inning, Royals lead 2-0.
2:01 PM: RHP Derek Law has a 1-2-3 inning for Texas, with two strikeouts. Four innings complete, Royal lead 2-0.
2:09 PM: Todd Frazier led off with a walk to start the fifth inning. Scott Heineman flew out to center field, then Jose Trevino grounded into a double play. To the bottom of the fifth, Royal lead 2-0.
2:10 PM: Ryan Dorow pinch-ran for Frazier and has stayed in the game at third base. RHP JImmy Herget comes in to pitch the fifth inning.
2:19 PM: Herget gives up a lead-off single, but retires the next three hitters, striking out two. Five innings complete, Royals lead 2-0.
2:28 PM: Apostel, Garcia, and Ibanez all strike out swinging. The Rangers have only had two baserunners so far (Heineman single, Frazier walk). To the bottom of the sixth, Royals lead 2-0.
2:30 PM: The Rangers make the following changes: Taylor Guerreri in to pitch, Rob Refsnyder in left field, Nick Ciuffo at catcher, Henry Ramos in right field, and Yadiel Rivera at second base.
2:31 PM: Yadiel Rivera immediately makes a nice diving play to get the first out of the inning.
2:34 PM: HOME RUN. Ryan O'Hearn hits a solo home run off a Taylor Guerreri 1-1 pitch. Royals lead 3-0.
2:35 PM: Guerreri strikes out the final batter of the sixth. Heading into the seventh inning, the Royals lead 3-0.
2:41 PM: Ronald Guzman rips a two-out double down the left field line for the Rangers first extra-base hit of the spring.
2:44 PM: RUN. Ryan Dorow rips a single to center field that scores Curtis Terry, who was pinch-running for Guzman. Royals lead 3-1.
2:47 PM: HOME RUN: Rob Refsnyder hits a two-run home run and we've got a new ball game in the top of the seventh. Game tied 3-3.
2:50 PM: The Rangers' seventh innings continues. Nick Ciuffo walks, and now Blake Swihart comes in to pinch hit for Sherten Apostel.
2:54 PM: Blake Swihart beats out a grounder to shortstop. The seventh continues.
2:55 PM: Ramos grounds out to the pitcher. Stretch time. Tie game 3-3.
2:57 PM: The Rangers make the following changes: Kyle Bird is in to pitch. Leody Taveras in center field, Anderson Tejeda at shortstop. Curtis Terry stays in the game to play first base.
3:04 PM: Anderson Tejeda with an E6. A Kansas City baserunner is now on third with two outs.
3:06 PM: Kyle Bird strikes out Gabriel Cancel looking. Seven innings complete. Tie game 3-3.
3:14 PM: Anderson Tejeda singles, but the Rangers don't do anything else in their half of the 8th inning. Heading to the bottom of the eighth. Tie game 3-3.
3:17 PM: Today's announced attendance: 6,684
3:22 PM: RUN. Khalil Lee singles in Nick Heath off Arturo Reyes. Lee is thrown out at second base. Royals lead 4-3.
3:29 PM: Reyes walks Ryan O'Hearn and Brett Phillips back to back. LHP James Jones is now in to pitch with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
3:34 PM: James Jones walks the first batter he faces on four pitches, but gets the next guy to ground out with the bases loaded. To the ninth inning...Royals lead 4-3.
3:38 PM: Ryan Dorow lines out to right field. Up comes the Rangers' hero so far, Rob Refsnyder...and he's hit by a pitch. Tying runner on first. Nick Ciuffo now up.
3:42 PM: Nick Ciuffo lines a single to right field. Yonny Hernandez comes in to pinch-run for Ciuffo. Runners on first and second...Swihart now up.
3:45 PM: Swihart pops out to shortstop. Rangers down to their last out.
3:49 PM: RUNS. Henry Ramos lines a single to right and and E6 allows both runners on base to score. Rangers lead 5-4.
3:51 PM: LHP James Jones stays in the game to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning. Matt Whatley now in at catcher.
3:57 PM: James Jones with a flyout and groundout to start the inning, but walks Nick Heath. Tying runner on first.
3:58 PM: Khalil Lee hits one to the warning track, but it's pulled in by Henry Ramos. Rangers WIN 5-4.
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