Witasick Keeps Doing His Share

Jay Witasick is giving the Kansas City Royals reasons to keep him in the starting rotation.

Witasick settled down after yielding home runs to Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez and won for the third time in four starts as the Royals scored four runs in the sixth inning to beat the Texas Rangers, 6-3, Sunday.

Witasick (7-11), who retired 11 of 13 batters after the home runs, had been scheduled to return to Kansas City’s struggling bullpen. That might change now, after he gave up three runs in seven innings in another strong start.

“This is something new for me,” Witasick said of his starting role. “I took my licks earlier in the year and I think I learned from that. Right now I’m feeling comfortable starting. Whatever role I’m in, I still have things to learn. But as a starter the results are coming around.”

The same can be said for catcher Sal Fasano, who was recalled from triple-A Omaha on Sept. 1. After hitting a pair of two-run homers Saturday, he capped the four-run outburst in the sixth with a run-scoring double.

The Royals won their third straight over Texas and have won five of their last six. The Rangers entered the series with a four-game winning streak.