Luke Hochevar goes 8 strong innings, Billy Butler homers to lead Royals past Rangers 5-2

Hochevar goes 8 innings as Royals top Rangers 5-2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Billy Butler homered and Luke Hochevar pitched eight strong innings to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

Butler went 2 for 3 to raise his average to .348, second in the American League. He led off the sixth with his fifth home run to snap a 2-2 tie.

Hochevar (5-2), the only Royals starter with a winning record, held the Rangers to two runs on six hits, striking out four and walking none. In winning his past two starts, Hochevar has allowed five runs on 10 hits in 17 innings.

Joakim Soria worked a flawless ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances and the 100th of his career.

Willie Bloomquist drove in two runs for Kansas City with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a run-scoring double in the eighth.

Rangers right-hander Scott Feldman (2-5) allowed four runs on seven hits with one walk and two hit batters in 6 2/3 innings. Feldman, a 17-game winner in 2009, is 1-5 with a 6.91 ERA and opponents are hitting .326 in his past eight starts.

Nelson Cruz doubled with two outs in the second inning and scored on Justin Smoak’s single to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.

The Royals tied it in the bottom half when Scott Podsednik’s two-out single scored Mitch Maier, who led off with a single. Kansas City went ahead in the third when Mike Aviles led off with a double and moved to third on a groundout by Butler and scored on Guillen’s sacrifice fly.

The Rangers tied it at 2 in the sixth when Michael Young tripled to score Elvis Andrus. Young extended his hitting streak to a season-high 12 games and has an MLB-best 37 hits in May.

Nelson Cruz doubled with two outs in the second and came home on Justin Smoak’s single to put the Rangers in front 1-0.

NOTES: Royals SS Yuniesky Betancourt was held out of the lineup because of a mild concussion which he sustained in a collision at home plate Tuesday with Rangers C Matt Treanor. … Young’s triple was the 44th of his career, tying him with Ruben Sierra for the most in Rangers’ history. … The Royals beat the Rangers for the first time in six meetings this season. … The Royals are hitting an AL-best .303 in day games.