Scott Feldman’s sharp turnaround has been a huge boost for the Texas Rangers.

The right-hander won his sixth straight decision, Josh Hamilton drove in two runs and Texas defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Saturday night.

Feldman (6-6) worked into the eighth inning and became the first pitcher in 29 years to win six consecutive decisions after starting the season 0-6. Doyle Alexander did it in 1983 with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.

“I’ve just sort of gone about my business and felt the same way the whole year,” Feldman said. “It’s just nice to get an opportunity to go in there and help out and keep my focus on that, making good pitches.”

Feldman went 17-9 in 2009, but knee injuries the past two seasons set him back. This year, he returned to the rotation because of injuries to Rangers starters Neftali Feliz and Colby Lewis.

“It’s been very timely,” manager Ron Washington said. “He’s been our security blanket, really. Things go wrong in the rotation and we’ve been able to just plug him and he eats up innings. He’s executing his pitches really well.”

Hamilton, who leads the majors with 90 RBIs, hit an opposite-field single in the third inning to score Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus. Kinsler singled with one out and went to third on Andrus’ double.

Mike Olt, called up Thursday from Double-A, added two RBIs for the AL West leaders.

With closer Joe Nathan unavailable, Alexi Ogando worked around two singles in the ninth to earn his third save.

“It’s like the ’09 Feldman,” Hamilton said. “He’s throwing the ball good, mixing his pitches up well. He’s getting the job done. He’s keeping the ball down. He’s not throwing it over the middle of the plate. Everything has got so much movement on it.”

Feldman, who was 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA in July, held Kansas City to six hits and two runs over 7 2/3 innings. The Royals, who lost for the 23rd time in 32 games, scored twice in the fifth on groundouts by Chris Getz and Alex Gordon.

“We did a pretty good job against him,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. “He had a tremendous two-seamer, a tremendous splitter and a tremendous curve. He was really hard to hit and I think we did a good job of getting some hits off him.”

Olt, who had 28 home runs and 82 RBIs with Double-A Frisco before his promotion, hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth and an RBI single with two outs in the sixth.

“A big sac fly, a big hit up the middle with two outs,” Washington said. “That was huge. That gave us a little bit more of a cushion.”

Royals rookie Will Smith (2-4) gave up four runs and eight hits over 5 2/3 innings in losing his third straight start.

The Rangers could have scored more runs in the third if not for a gaffe on the bases.

Hamilton stopped at second on Adrian Beltre’s single before Nelson Cruz’s grounder caromed off the glove of shortstop Alcides Escobar for an error. The Royals, however, converted that into a double play when Beltre was caught between second and third and tagged out. Cruz attempted to go to second on the play and was out to end the inning.

“We could have put more on the board in the third inning, but it just wasn’t to be,” Washington said.

— Associated Press —

The beleaguered Texas Rangers pitching staff needed a solid start, and Matt Harrison provided it.

The Rangers starters had allowed at least six runs in each of the previous four games.

But Harrison’s strong start and Mitch Moreland’s three-run homer led the Rangers to a 5-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.

Harrison (13-6) held the Royals to two runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.

“He’s got a mean streak now,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “That mean streak grew into him. He didn’t always have it. He hates to be taken out of the game. He hates when he doesn’t go out there and do good.”

Harrison, who went 1-3 in July, walked three and struck out three, departing after 109 pitches.

“I had a pretty successful year last year and I wanted to continue doing that,” Harrison said. “My confidence has grown a lot in myself and trusting my stuff. I understand why I get taken out of games, but I hate getting taken out of innings. I want to finish the inning every time, but it’s understandable with the situation. I just want to compete and be one of the best pitchers in the game.”

Washington said he wondered how long Harrison would be able to go after throwing 63 pitches over the first three innings.

“He was trying to find his rhythm, 3-2 counts on all the hitters,” Washington said. “His sinker came into play and he started getting a lot of quick outs.”

Harrison needed only eight pitches in the fourth inning.

“I didn’t figure it out until I was warming up in the fourth,” Harrison said. “From there I started locating my pitches better and the confidence grew.”

Moreland’s home run in the seventh inning came off Royals lefty relief specialist Jose Mijares, who had not yielded a home run to a left-handed hitter this season. Moreland hit an 0-2 slider out to right with Michael Young and Geovany Soto aboard.

“I was just trying to grind it out, foul off what I could, hang in there, until I got one,” Moreland said. “It was an 0-2 count. I was trying to stay nice and easy, short to the ball and I think it helped a little bit in that situation.”

Jeremy Guthrie (3-11) held the Rangers to three runs and six hits over six-plus innings. He is winless in three Kansas City starts since being acquired in a July 20 trade with the Colorado Rockies for Jonathan Sanchez and has not won since May 31 against Houston.

“That’s the best start we’ve seen from him,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He kept the ball down and he really matched Harrison pitch for pitch. That’s a difficult task against their lineup and Jeremy almost did that.”

The Rangers loaded the bases with one out in the first on a single by Ian Kinsler and walks to Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre, but scored only one run. Nelson Cruz’s fly ball to Jeff Francoeur at the wall in right field brought home Kinsler. Guthrie threw only 11 strikes in 25 pitches that inning.

The Royals tied it in the second when they loaded the bases with no outs. Salvador Perez started it with a single, Francoeur walked and Eric Hosmer beat out an infield single. Yuniesky Betancourt, however, grounded into a double play with Perez scoring.

“I was able to make the pitch and get out of the second inning with only one run with the bases loaded no outs,” Harrison said.

The Rangers took the lead in the fourth, which Beltre opened with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on David Murphy’s single. Murphy is hitting .396 with 32 RBIs in 53 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

The Royals chased Harrison in the seventh. Chris Getz and Alex Gordon had two-out infield singles. After Alcides Escobar’s run-scoring single, Tanner Scheppers replaced Harrison.

Betancourt’s two-out double in the eighth scored Francoeur with the final Royals run.

Alexi Ogando worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two, for his second save in five opportunities.

“He blew them away,” Washington said. “He’s good in situations where he can let it all go. He let it all go, 97-98 (mph). He looked calm out there.”

— Associated Press —