Royals fall to Ponson and Rangers

    When Sidney Ponson got released by Minnesota last May, the big right-hander knew he wasn’t physically or mentally ready to keep pitching. So he went home and was out of the major leagues until last week.
    Now his pitches are sinking again, and his confidence is soaring.
    Ponson went eight innings to earn his first victory in exactly a year and the Texas Rangers finished off a successful homestand with Ron Washington still their manager, beating the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Thursday.
    “My changeup and my slider helped me throw more strikes. I was lucky enough to have two extra pitches besides my slider,” Ponson said. “I’m just happy Texas gave me a chance to pitch back in the big leagues, and I’m going to get the most out of it.”
    The Rangers took two-of-three from both Minnesota and Kansas City during the homestand, which began after a miserable road trip and a meeting of owner Tom Hicks, president Nolan Ryan and general manager Jon Daniels about the team’s direction. Texas (11-18) set a team record with 18 losses in April, and still has the worst record in the majors.
    “I’m judged on wins and losses. We haven’t been getting a whole lot of wins, so it falls on me. I can handle that,” Washington said. “I’m still here, and we’re going to still fight. I can’t say it doesn’t bother me. ... I just know just as bad as we were, things can turn around. The guys in that clubhouse believe it. I believe it.”