ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cole Hamels provided another reminder of what an ace means to a beleaguered starting rotation.Hamels (12-2) allowed two runs and six hits in eight innings, matching his longest start of the season, to help the Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 Thursday night.Hamels 123 pitches were 10 more than his previous high for the year. He didnt allow an earned run in his previous two starts, totaling 13 1/3 innings.Its always great when youre able to go out there, youre doing well and youre having non-stressful innings and theyre pretty quick, the 32-year-old Hamels said. Youre able to keep going out there, keep a good rhythm, a good pace.Texas manager Jeff Banister said: Hes our front-end guy. I mean, hes our ace. Hes the guy that sits in the front of that rotation.The Rangers managed only four hits off Yordano Ventura (6-9) -- including three home runs. Mitch Morelands second of the game broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning. Rougned Odor also went deep.Sam Dyson earned his 21st save in 23 opportunities, stranding the tying run at third base after walking the leadoff batter in the ninth.The AL West-leading Rangers are 5-8 since the All-Star break, the 10-game lead of late June now at three. The only wins by Texas starters during that stretch are from Hamels. Hes 3-0 since then with a 0.84 ERA, an opponents batting average of .190 and 23 strikeouts against four walks.The game was a pitching rematch of the Rangers 7-4 win in Kansas City last Saturday. Hamels allowed one unearned run over 5 1/3 innings and also got that win. Ventura was the loser then, giving up three runs in five innings.You think you know what hes got, said Eric Hosmer, who went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. He did a good job of mixing in a lot more offspeed pitches.Hamels will get an extra days rest before his next start. Banister said that and recent struggled by Texas bullpen helped determine that Hamels, at 96 pitches through seven innings, would go out again for the eighth.Catcher Robinson Chirinos said he asked Hamels after the seventh how he felt.Hes like, Lets go, Chirinos said. He deserved that win. He was outstanding.Hamels 12 strikeouts equaled his Texas high, set last September vs. Seattle. His career high -- set with Philadelphia -- is 15. The 12 is the most by a Rangers pitcher this season.Odors 19th of the season added to his career high and went 465 feet into the upper deck in right field, the longest of his career.MORELAND IS LOCKED INBoth homers by the left-handed hitting Moreland were to the opposite field. It was his 10th career multi-homer game and second of the season. He has five homers in his last 11 hits.Banister said Moreland, 30, is unaffected by the recent call-up of power-hitting prospect Joey Gallo, who will share time at first base with Moreland.Mitch is a pro, Banister said. He understands. He knows hes a part of this lineup. Hes a big part of this lineup. So, there was no real conversation that needed to be had.SHORT HOPSNeither team had a hit with runners in scoring position. Kansas City was 0 for 11 while Texas didnt have an at-bat in that situation. . The game began after a 35-minute rain delay. It was the second rain delay in three days, an unusual summer occurrence in Arlington. ... The first son of Royals 3B Cheslor Cuthbert was born on Thursday morning in Venezuela.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: RHP Luke Hochevar was placed on the 15-day disabled list with symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome.Rangers: LHP Derek Holland (shoulder) is expected to throw a bullpen session on Friday. One of the scheduled hitters is RF Shin Soo-Choo (hamstring strain).UP NEXTFriday nights game will be a pitching rematch of Sunday afternoons 2-1 Texas win at Kauffman Stadium in which each starter allowed one run and got a no-decision. Royals RHP Edinson Volquez (8-8) allowed seven hits in six innings, Rangers RHP A.J. Griffin (3-1) four hits in five innings. Cheap Jordans For Sale Wholesale .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Wholesale Jordans Shoes Free Shipping . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. http://www.wholesalejordans.us/ .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Cheap Jordans Wholesale . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Cheap Wholesale Jordans Free Shipping . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Kent 496 (Gidman 99*, Stevens 74, Billings 69, Magoffin 5-88) beat Sussex 180 (Brown 54, Viljoen 3-70) and 189 (Viljoen 3-34) by an innings and 127 runsScorecard Kent kept up the pressure on second division leaders Essex after wrapping up a convincing victory by an innings and 127 runs over Sussex in the Specsavers County Championship. Their first Championship win at Hove since 1992 moved Kent on to 195 points, the same number as Essex - who are pushing for victory themselves against Worcestershire at Chelmsford - had at the start of the round.Kent will be hoping that Worcestershires batsmen show more application than Sussexs managed on the third morning as they tamely surrendered eight wickets in 27.5 overs, several of them to questionable shots. Kent seamers Mitch Claydon, Hardus Viljoen and Matt Coles took three wickets each as Sussex suffered their first Championship defeat of the season to end their own slim chance of making a late charge for promotion.Their hopes of making Kent work for victory depended largely on the experienced Chris Nash and Luke Wells but both fell within 30 minutes of the resumption. Nash got a beauty from Viljoen which pitched and left him off the seam but Wells tried to cut a ball that he should have left alone and gave second slip Coles a head-high catch.dddddddddddd. He wasnt the only Sussex batsman with poor judgement outside off stump.None suggested they were in the mood to get their head down thereafter. Coles found some extra bounce to have Fynn Hudson-Prentice caught off the glove and Craig Cachopa gave a catch to wicketkeeper Sam Billings, moving in front of first slip.Skipper Ben Brown could consider himself unfortunate when he played on to a ball from Darren Stevens that hardly bounced and by then it was only a case of whether Sussex might hold on until rain arrived at lunch time. But their tail offered little resistance. Ollie Robinson guided a ball at least a yard outside off stump from Coles to third man, Danny Briggs was pinned by Claydons nip-backer and with lunch delayed after the ninth wicket fell Claydon wrapped things up when last man Steve Magoffin was caught behind. Only Nash batted for longer than an hour.Kent head to Beckenham next week where victory over Northamptonshire could set up a potential winner-takes-all promotion decider against Essex at Canterbury on September 20. Jerseys NFL China Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Discount Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '