Rangers’ bats back Gonzalez in strong outing vs. Reds

Justin Ruggiano, battling for a roster spots, hit two of the Texas Rangers’ five homers Thursday, and Chi Chi Gonzalez allowed one hit in five scoreless innings in a 12-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Hitting: Adrian Beltre, Mitch Moreland and minor leaguers Ronald Guzman also hit home runs. Beltre’s three-run homer in the third snapped a scoreless tie and was his second of the spring. ... Ruggiano boosted his average to .231 by going 2 for 3, well behind the pace set by Ryan Rua (.462).

Pitching: Gonzalez walked three and collected his first two strikeouts in four Cactus League appearances while throwing 72 pitches. He threw first-pitch strikes to 13 of 19 batters. ... The first Reds run came against left-hander Andrew Faulkner, though in his second inning of work. ... Reds hitters were overmatched against Jake Diekman, but found some success in the ninth as Sam Dyson worked on his off-speed pitches.

Notable: The Rangers were scheduled to play a second-split squad game Thursday at 9 p.m. CDT against Oakland in Mesa. ... The Rangers used their projected regular four infielders against the Reds.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 5:51 PM with the headline "Rangers’ bats back Gonzalez in strong outing vs. Reds."