The Italian Stallions provide all the horsepower the Royals need to sweep the Rangers, 4-1

Jac bashed his first major league home run. And then he hit another in case you weren’t paying attention

Today, the Royals took on the Rangers in Texas, hoping to come away with a sweep to get back on track after their worst week of the season. The Royals are coming off a 0-6 stretch where they were swept by the Yankees and the Athletics and needed a bounce-back series to get the season back on track.

The game started with a bang, as Jonathan India and Bobby Witt Jr worked the count to 3-2 taxing the Rangers opener, Shawn Armstrong. Jonathan India popped out on a defensive swing, but Bobby Witt Jr got on with a one-out walk. Maikel Garcia lined out and brought up Vinnie Pasquantino. Pasquatch got a meatball for the sixth pitch of the AB and launched it screaming 104 MPH down the right field line for a two-run homer to start the scoring.

Armstrong was replaced after one inning by Jacob Latz, who came in to face Jac Caglianone. On the fifth pitch of the AB LumberJac hammered a pitch that appeared to be neck high, 107 MPH off the bat for his first career home run, and got the silent treatment from the rest of the team before the celebration commenced. The next three hitters made good contact but got out in order, and the Royals gave Michael Wacha a three-run cushion for the second inning.

Michael Wacha gave the Royals a stellar start, going 5.1 innings before giving up his first hit of the game. In the sixth inning, a single by Wyatt Langford broke the no-hit bid and then a double up the third base line by Marcus Semien gave the Rangers their first run of the game. Wacha was pulled after six, having allowed one run, two hits and two walks and earning himself a quality start.

Clinging to a 3-1 lead, Caglianone was left in the game until the ninth when he got another opportunity to lead off against a fresh left-hander out of the bullpen, Robert Garcia. The pitcher might have been different, but the result was the same, providing the final margin of victory.

John Schreiber, Angel Zerpa, and Carlos Estévez each pitched scoreless innings to finish the sweep off and give the stomp the cowboy-wannabe Rangers with an Italy-shaped boot.

Jac’s pair of dingers raised his OPS 150 points and rocketed his wRC+ 52 points. Just a reminder of how early things still are for him - and a taste of all the pasta-bilities he brings to this club. Just imagine if he hadn’t been leading off those innings!

The Royals won their first series in Texas in more than a decade. It was their first sweep of the Rangers in Arlington since 2003. Some victory tiramisu will do a lot to get the bad taste of that terrible homestand out of our mouths.

While the Rangers eat some losers’ lasagna, the Royals will be jumping on a flight to face the very tough San Diego Padres, though they’ve already guaranteed this won’t be a losing road trip. The Padres haven’t announced their starter as of this writing, but Michael Lorenzen will get the start for KC in their first Apple TV broadcast of the season at 8:30 CDT.