Jac Caglianone Shines with Two Homers in Royals' 5-3 Victory Over Rangers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jac Caglianone showcased his power at the plate, going 3 for 3 with two home runs and three RBIs, as the Kansas City Royals rallied to overcome an early deficit and secured a 5-3 win against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday evening. Caglianone, who had missed the previous game due to right shoulder discomfort, broke up Nathan Eovaldi’s no-hit attempt with a lead-off homer in the fifth inning that cleared into the right-field bullpen.

In the sixth inning, Caglianone struck again, launching a two-run homer off reliever Jalen Beeks’ first-pitch changeup, driving the ball 431 feet to right-center and boosting the Royals to a 5-2 advantage. This marked the second time Caglianone hit multiple home runs in a game, having achieved the same feat against the Rangers on June 19, 2025, which were his first career homers.

The Royals' offense came alive in the sixth inning, racking up five extra-base hits during a four-run surge. Carter Jensen led off with a double that hit the right-field fence, later scoring from Maikel Garcia’s one-out triple, leveling the game at 2-2. Garcia then crossed the plate on Vinnie Pasquantino’s ground-rule double, pushing Kansas City ahead.

On the mound, Nathan Eovaldi (5-7) struggled with control early, walking a batter in each of the first three innings, yet managed to keep the Royals hitless through four frames. He finished with 5 2/3 innings pitched, yielding four runs on four extra-base hits, along with three walks and three strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Royals starter Stephen Kolek navigated through a tough first three innings, throwing 55 pitches while allowing six baserunners, though he stranded four of them. The Rangers took the lead with Jake Burger’s second-inning RBI single, followed by a pair of throwing errors in the fourth that allowed Evan Carter to score, extending Texas’ lead to 2-0. Kolek exited after five innings, giving up two runs, one earned, and eight hits.

The final runs came in the seventh when Joc Pederson tripled and scored on Corey Seager's groundout. Josh Jung and Brandon Nimmo each contributed two hits to Texas’ total of nine. Steven Cruz (1-2) secured the win by retiring all four batters he faced, striking out two, while Alex Lange earned his fourth save of the season with two strikeouts in a hitless ninth inning. Kansas City has now claimed five victories in their last six games. However, Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel left the game in the seventh with a left foot injury related to plantar fasciitis.

Looking ahead, the Rangers will send LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-5, 4.23 ERA) to the mound against Royals RHP Seth Lugo (2-4, 3.91) on Wednesday night.