<p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Michael A. Taylor homered and drove in three runs for the second straight game, leading the Kansas City Royals over the Texas Rangers 11-4 Saturday.</p>
<p>Released by Washington after hitting .196 last season, Taylor is off to a sensational start for Kansas City. After getting three hits and throwing out two runners at the plate from center field in a 14-10 win on opening day, Taylor came back with a home run and double as the Royals improved to 2-0.</p>
<p>Whit Merrifield also homered for the second game in a row.</p>
<p>Once again, the Royals spotted the Rangers a big early lead before rallying. Kansas City allowed five runs in the top of the first inning in the opener, and this time trailed 4-0 before scoring three runs in the fifth and seven more in the sixth.</p>
<p>Mike Minor (1-0) allowed four runs on four hits in six innings. He pitched for the Rangers over the past three seasons.</p>
<p>Texas reliever Josh Sborz (0-1) gave up three runs without retiring a batter.</p>
<p>Rangers starter Kohei Arihara allowed three runs and six hits in five innings in his major league debut after six seasons in Japan.</p>
<p>Joey Gallo’s mammoth 450-foot homer to center put the Rangers on the board in the first. After David Dahl doubled, Gallo hit a 1-2 pitch into the batter’s eye.</p>
<p>Minor ran into trouble in the third, much of it his own doing. After retiring the first two hitters, he gave up an infield single before a four-pitch walk and a hit batter. Nate Lowe then looped a two-run single.</p>
<p>The Royals finally got to Arihara in the fifth when Taylor hit a 458-foot home run to straightaway center. Kyle Isbel then tripled when center fielder Leody Taveras lost his flyball in the sun. Hanser Alberto doubled and when Nicky Lopez bunted for a single, the Royals had a cycle in the first four batters of the inning. Merrifield drove in Alberto with a fielder’s choice.</p>
<p>Taylor’s two-run double in the sixth to give Kansas City the lead. Isbel followed with an RBI single, Merrifield drove in two with a single and Carlos Santana had a two-run double,</p>
<p>Merrifield homered in the eighth.</p>
<p> TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Royals 3B Hunter Dozier was out of the lineup with swelling in his right thumb. He left Thursday’s game with a contusion apparently hurt on a swing. Manager Mike Matheny said Dozier is day-to-day.</p>
<p> UP NEXT </p>
<p>The Rangers will send RHP Jordan Lyles to the mound Sunday. He finished 2020 1-6 with a 7.02 ERA. He allowed the most runs in MLB in 2020.</p>
<p>Royals RHP Brady Singer will try to build on an impressive debut season. He went 4-5 with a 4.05 ERA in 2020, but he won three of his last four starts, including allowing just one hit over eight innings in a late-season start against Cleveland.</p>
<hr />
<p>More AP MLB: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/MLB">https://apnews.com/hub/MLB</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>
