Rookie Mitch Moreland hits another home run, leads Hunter, Rangers past Royals 4-3

Rookie Moreland homers again, Texas beats Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rookie Mitch Moreland homered again and the Texas Rangers kept pulling away in the AL West, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-3 Wednesday night.

The Rangers increased their division lead to 9½ games over Oakland, which lost in New York.

Moreland homered for the second straight game, leading off the sixth inning with a shot that made it 4-2. He has five home runs in his first 25 big league games.

Tommy Hunter (12-2) allowed two runs on seven hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings.

Rookie Neftali Feliz worked a perfect ninth for his 34th save in 37 opportunities.

David Murphy had three of Texas’ 10 hits. Elvis Andrus walked, Murphy singled and Nelson Cruz hit a two-out, two-run single in the first off Bryan Bullington (1-4).

The Royals manufactured a run in the third. Brayan Pena led off with a bunt single, Mitch Maier singled, Gregor Blanco sacrificed and Mike Aviles had a sacrifice fly.

Moreland walked in the fourth and scored on Andres Blanco’s. Yuniesky Betancourt, who hit seven home runs in August, hit his career-high 15th homer in the Royals fourth.

Aviles and Betancourt doubled in the seventh, pulling the Royals to 4-3.

Bullington gave up four runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. After allowing two hits in eight scoreless innings Aug. 15 against the Yankees for his first big league victory, Bullington has allowed 17 runs on 28 hits in 14 2-3 innings.

Gil Meche, who was reinstated from the disabled list before the game, worked a scoreless ninth for the Royals. He gave up a single in his first relief appearance since Oct. 1, 2005, while with the Seattle Mariners.

NOTES: Rangers OF Josh Hamilton, who tops the majors with a .361 batting average, was held out of the lineup after receiving a shot Tuesday in his sore right knee. … Royals manager Ned Yost said with C Jason Kendall scheduled for right shoulder surgery Friday, Pena and Lucas May would share the catching duties. The recovery time for Kendall’s surgery is eight to 10 months. … Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, who has been on the disabled list since July 28 with a left groin strain, was activated, but said he would not be at full strength until next year.