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Royals turn to Ventura in Arlington

May 13, 2015 - 1:47 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Kansas City Royals aim for another win against the Texas Rangers when the two clubs resume a four-game set Wednesday in Arlington.

The Royals dropped Monday's opener by an 8-2 score, but bounced back with Tuesday's 7-6 victory in 10 innings.

Alex Gordon's solo homer in the top of the 10th inning put the Royals ahead for good and he recorded three of Kansas City's 12 hits. Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer also hit solo homers.

"I thought it was one of those see-saw games where both teams just traded punches," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Edinson Volquez allowed four runs on six hits over five-plus innings for the Royals and Greg Holland pitched two innings of relief for the win.

Yordano Ventura gets the ball Wednesday and hasn't tasted victory since April 12 against the LA Angels. He is 0-2 with a 6.65 earned run average in his last four starts. The Royals are 1-3 in that time and dropped a 6-5 decision in Ventura's last start Friday at Detroit. He did not factor in the outcome and gave up four runs in six innings.

Ventura has won both of his career starts against Texas (2.19 ERA) and is 1-1 with a 4.88 ERA in four road assignments this season.

The Rangers had won two straight and six of eight games until their recent loss.

Stolmy Pimentel served up Gordon's home run in the 10th, while Shin-Soo Choo went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and Prince Fielder had two RBI.

Texas starter Nick Martinez allowed four runs -- three earned -- on six hits over 6 1/3 innings.

"Great baseball game. With a team like that you just gotta find ways to battle," Martinez said.

Yovani Gallardo has lost his last four starts and gets the nod for the Rangers Wednesday night. Gallardo's in his first season with Texas and previously toed the rubber in Friday's 8-2 loss at Tampa Bay, charged with four runs -- three earned -- in 5 1/3 innings.

Gallardo has allowed three earned runs in each of his last four starts and fell to 2-5 in seven starts with a 4.19 ERA. The right-hander and longtime Milwaukee Brewer faced the Royals once before and threw seven innings of one- run ball with eight K's and two walks.

He is 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA across three starts in Arlington.

The Royals won five of the six meetings with the Rangers in 2014.