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Rangers go for series split with Royals

May 15, 2012 - 3:08 PM (Sports Network) - Rangers starter Colby Lewis was dominating at times during most of his outing last week.

The beginning and the end of the appearance? Not so much.

Lewis will try to build on the positives of his recent bizarre start this evening as Texas tries to split a two-game series with the Kansas City Royals.

After opening the season 3-0 with a 1.93 earned run average through five starts, Lewis has lost back-to-back outings while giving up 12 runs over that stretch. Six of those came in his last start on Thursday versus Baltimore in the first game of a doubleheader.

Though the right-hander would strike out a career-high 12 batters in the outing, all five hits he allowed were home runs. He opened the game by yielding three straight homers, then retired 18 straight before giving up another pair of longballs in the seventh inning.

Lewis became the first player in MLB history to allow at least five homers and record 10-plus strikeouts in the same game.

"Sometimes things like this happen and it's unfortunate," said Rangers manager Ron Washington of Lewis' outing. "They put three runs up early and they happened to be all homers. After that first inning, you didn't know what to expect. But he settled down and gave us a chance to win."

The 32-year-old will now try to rebound at home, where he is 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA in three starts this season. He is 1-1 with an 8.22 ERA in four career meetings with the Royals, three of those starts.

With left-hander Jonathan Sanchez on the disabled list due to left biceps tendinitis, the Royals will give righty Vin Mazzaro his first start of 2012.

Mazzaro went 1-1 with an 8.26 ERA in seven games with Kansas City a season ago, making four starts. He was recalled from the minors last week and has pitched once since, throwing a perfect inning of relief versus the White Sox on Friday.

The 25-year-old is 0-1 with a 9.49 ERA in three career games versus the Rangers, including two starts.

The Royals won for just the second time in their past 11 games in Texas with Monday's 3-1 decision, their third straight victory overall and fifth in six games.

Bruce Chen got the win, giving up a run over 6 2/3 frames, while Alcides Escobar's two-run single in the fifth ended up as the difference.

"He kept the ball down, he mixed pretty good and he was trying to make sure their big boys didn't hurt us," Royals catcher Brayan Pena said about Chen.

Jonathan Broxton worked a scoreless ninth for his eighth save of the year.

Scott Feldman gave up two unearned runs on three hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings to suffer the loss in a spot start.

"My command wasn't there tonight. I'm trying to get outs any way I can at this point," said Feldman. "If ground balls happen they happen, but I'm just more concerned about trying to get guys out."

Nelson Cruz homered for Texas, which had won five of seven coming in.

The Rangers have won 13 of their past 18 versus the Royals.