• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Ponson, home runs lift Rangers past Royals

May 1, 2008 - 9:41 PM By Lary Bump PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker) -- Sidney Ponson pitched eight strong innings for his first major league win in exactly a year to help the Texas Rangers defeat the Kansas City Royals, 2-1, Thursday afternoon.

Home runs by Ian Kinsler and Ramon Vazquez against Zack Greinke (3-1) supported Ponson's six-hit performance.

The Rangers won the last two games of the three-game series, matching their longest winning streak this season. They hit seven homers in those two games to finish the homestand with a 4-2 record.

But the story was Ponson (1-0), who was making his second start of 2008 after signing a minor league contract with the Rangers during spring training. He struck out five and walked two, going eight innings for the first time since June 28, 2005.

"It was very important for him to pitch well," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "With what we're losing, with (Kason) Gabbard and (Jason) Jennings on the disabled list and (Brandon) McCarthy still out, we wanted a guy who can go deep into a game. It looks like we got another one."

Ponson's last win was for the Minnesota Twins over Tampa Bay on May 1, 2007.

"I'm not worried about that (the last win)," Ponson said. "I'm going to worry about my next start in five days. I'm happy to have the chance Texas gave me. Today, my changeup and slider helped me. In my first game, I didn't have anything besides my sinker."

The Royals had scored nine runs in each of its previous two games before Ponson was able to stymie their offense.

"We got the pitching back but couldn't put the offense with it," Royals manager Trey Hillman. "Ponson was good. They were good enough against Zack on two swings to get the ball out of the ballpark."

Kinsler led off the bottom of the first inning with his second home run to give Texas a 1-0 lead. Vazquez then singled, but Greinke retired the next 12 batters he faced until Brandon Boggs led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single.

The Royals tied the game in the third inning when Mark Grudzielanek's two-out single drove in Tony Pena from second base.

But the Rangers caught up with Greinke in the bottom of the sixth when Vazquez hit his first home run, one pitch after Kinsler led off with a fly ball to the warning track in center.

"I think it was a fastball down and in," said Vazquez, who hit eight home runs last season. "I was looking for something I could drive for an extra-base hit. I knew (Greinke) was going to go right at me.

"When you throw a first-pitch strike, it's going to happen every once in a while," Greinke said.

Greinke struck out a season-high nine batters, allowing four hits without issuing a walk.

Young struck out three times against Greinke, ending his 14-game hitting streak.