Kyle Davies pitched well enough to win Monday night, but the problem was he was up against the Rangers' C.J. Wilson.

Wilson gave up an infield single in the second to Willie Bloomquist and did not permit another hit until Jai Miller's single to left in the eighth inning in the Rangers' 3-0 shutout of the Royals.

"You've got to give credit to C.J.," Davies said. "He pitched a real good ballgame. He's been pitching pretty good the whole (season)."

The good news was Davies' performance.

Davies gave up 10 hits and one walk, but one of the runs was unearned and he had six strikeouts in his 8 1/3 innings. In his previous start, the Tigers roughed up Davies for seven runs on 12 hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings.

"It was a good bounce-back game, but as a player you still want to win the game," Davies said. "In the second inning, I didn't throw a whole lot of good pitches. I was lucky to only give up the one. A couple of pitches beginning the fifth weren't very good, but when I got runners on first and second that's when I got better.

"I was actually better through the rest of the game than I was early in the game. Every single ball I was throwing (later in game) was pretty much where I wanted it."

Davies has the stuff to be a solid No. 3 starter in the majors but is still seeking consistency.

"The trouble in the past has always been the walks and high pitch count," he said. "That's something I've been working on. Two out of the past three starts, I've been pretty good with that aspect.

"It's trying to get consistent with that delivery and not trying to overthrow the ball. I did it tonight. We'll see if I can do it again the next time. It was the same question as last time, 'Can he do it again?' That's going to be the same question the next time I go out and pitch."

RANGERS 3, ROYALS 0: The Royals had really only one good chance to score off Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson. In the second, Wilson Betemit and Mike Aviles walked, and Willie Bloomquist's infield single loaded the bases with two out.

Jai Miller got ahead in the count 3-1 but ended up being called out on strikes. Wilson walked two in the sixth, but Jason Kendall grounded into a double play. Billy Butler's ninth-inning leadoff single off closer Neftali Feliz was the only other Royals hit, but Yuniesky Betancourt bounced into a double play to end the game.

Losing pitcher Kyle Davies gave the Royals a quality start -- three runs, two earned, on 10 hits and one walk in 8 1/3 innings -- but his record dropped to 6-9, although he lowered his earned run average to 5.23.

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