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Beltre, Rangers top Royals in 11 innings

May 19, 2011 - 5:56 AM Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Adrian Beltre had three RBI and hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the 11th inning, boosting Texas to a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Endy Chavez and Craig Gentry scored twice for the Rangers. Despite going 2- for-17 with men in scoring position and stranding 13 runners, the Rangers won for the fifth time in their last seven games.

Eric Hosmer clubbed the tying homer in the bottom of the ninth, but left the bases loaded in the 10th after flying out. The Royals, who suffered their fifth consecutive defeat, are 0-4 against the Rangers this season and have dropped 12 of the last 14 meetings.

Texas' Alexi Ogando had a strong outing on the mound, allowing four hits and a pair of runs while fanning five over seven innings. The 27-year-old right- hander, who has not taken a loss in his first eight career starts, retired 14 in a row at one point.

Royals starter Danny Duffy, making his major league debut, walked six batters and fanned four in four-plus frames. Duffy, a third round pick in the 2007 draft, had his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha. The move was made when the Royals placed pitcher Kyle Davies on the 15-day disabled list with right rotator cuff inflammation.

"I feel like I doubled my whole walk total for this whole year," said Duffy. "It was fun. I had a great time, but I didn't come up here to keep my team in the game. I came up here to win. It's a bummer, but I'm going to build on this and learn from this."

Jeremy Jeffress (1-1) walked Chavez to start the 11th. After a sacrifice bunt from Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler and Chris Davis walked to load the bases. Beltre then singled sharply up the middle. Kinsler was safe on a close play at the plate.

Brayan Pena singled to center to drive in Wilson Betemit with two outs in the bottom of the 11th, but Mark Lowe fanned Chris Getz to end the game and secure his first save of the year. Arthur Rhodes (2-2) picked up the win.

Getz and Alcides Escobar singled in runs in the bottom of the second inning before the Rangers cut the deficit in half in the third. They loaded the bases with one out and Beltre grounded into a fielder's choice to score Chavez.

The Rangers pulled off a double steal in the fourth and Gentry came home on a wild pitch from Duffy.

Texas wasted a chance with runners at the corners in the fifth and KC squandered a chance with Getz at third in the eighth.

Joakim Soria walked Gentry to start the ninth. A sacrifice bunt from Chavez led to an RBI single from pinch-hitter Andrus, giving the Rangers the lead.

Hosmer belted the first pitch from Neftali Feliz in the bottom of the ninth over the wall in right field to tie the game. The Royals had a pair of pinch- runners picked off first later in the inning in Jarrod Dyson and Mike Aviles.

"I've never seen that," said Texas manager Ron Washington about the pickoffs. "In Dyson's case, he doesn't really have to get a big lead. All he has to do is start running. Nefti (Feliz) did a good job of throwing the ball over there and giving Chris Davis a chance to make the play."

Both teams had chances in the 10th, but came up empty. Beltre singled and later reached third on a passed ball, but he was then caught between bases and tagged out on a bouncer to Betemit. Kansas City loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half, but Melky Cabrera popped out and Hosmer flied out to extend the contest.

Game Notes

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, out since the middle of April with a fractured arm bone, began a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco Wednesday night with a homer and an infield hit..Ogando's string of eight starts without a loss to begin a major league career with Texas is just two games shy of the team record. That's held by Gerald Alexander (September 9, 1990 - July 21, 1991)...Beltre is a career .370 hitter at Kauffman Stadium.