Rangers recap: Chi Chi tosses complete game shutout as Rangers take opener

Rookie pitcher Chi Chi Gonzalez topped his debut outing with a complete-game shutout against the Royals as the Rangers won the series opener 4-0 at Kauffman Stadium. Game 2 is at 1:10 p.m. Saturday.

Pitching: Chi Chi Gonzalez allowed a single and a walk in the first and then held the Royals hitless for the next 4 1/3 innings, including retiring 12 consecutive batters between the first and fifth innings. The Royals were threatening in the seventh with two on and one out. Pitching coach Mike Maddux made a visit to the mound, talked to Gonzalez and with his next pitch induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Gonzalez worked a quick eighth inning but had thrown 102 pitches before starting the ninth.

Hitting: Delino DeShields start the first with a standup triple that rolled to the wall in right-center field after center fielder Lorenzo Cain missed it on a dive attempt. DeShields scored on Shin-Soo Choo’s groundout to second on the next pitch to give Texas a 1-0 lead. Mitch Moreland made it 2-0 with a solo homer to start the sixth and Robinson Chirinos’ two-run single through the right side scored Elvis Andrus and Leonys Martin to make it 4-0 and chase Edinson Volquez from the game with one out in the sixth.

Notable: Joey Gallo struck out in his first three at-bats Friday against Edinson Volquez, the first two looking and the third swinging, almost exclusively offspeed pitches ... the Rangers improved to 18-11 on the road, tying their best road start after 29 games (1977, 1992, 1999).

This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Rangers recap: Chi Chi tosses complete game shutout as Rangers take opener."