ARLINGTON – Sidney Ponson talks about as quickly as he pitches. And he hit the fast-forward button Thursday.

Ponson wasted little time, recording nine strikeouts and 12 ground-ball outs while pitching eight innings in a 2-1 victory against Kansas City and starter Zach Grienke. The game lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes, the shortest game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington since May 29, 2006.

Ponson and closer C.J. Wilson, who pitched a perfect ninth, got all the support they needed on solo home runs by Ian Kinsler and Ramon Vazquez.

It gave the Rangers two consecutive series wins and much-needed confidence in a week where general manager Jon Daniels and club president Nolan Ryan, who watched the game from the owner's box, had to answer numerous questions about Ron Washington's job security.

Ponson, whose last major league win came exactly one year ago Thursday, was called up Saturday because of an expanding disabled list. In six days, he has gone from an insurance policy to the Rangers' de facto No. 3 starter.

"Texas gave me a chance to pitch back in the big leagues, and I'm going to make the most of it," said Ponson, who is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two starts.

After the game, Ponson, who speaks four languages and loves to chat, sped through the last two years of his life story . After struggles with the Yankees and Twins, he took a mental and physical break. He missed the game last winter and went to pitch in the Dominican Republic, hoping for another shot in the majors.

Ponson was effective against the Royals because he had all of his secondary pitches working to complement his hard sinker. When he got into trouble, which wasn't often, he made the crucial pitches to induce ground balls.

Alex Gordon twice drilled change-ups into the grass, allowing the Rangers to turn double plays to end the fourth and seventh innings. Fielders usually prefer a brisk pace, and Ponson benefited from solid play behind him in an error-free game.

"Now we know we've got another starter," Washington said. "We know we've got a guy that can go deep in the ballgame."

It was the deepest Ponson has pitched into a game since June 28, 2005. He was the third pitcher to go eight innings this season and the second in this homestand, joining Vicente Padilla. Texas had only three starters go at least eight innings all of last season.

"We played better this homestand," Michael Young said. "We got good pitching, found a rhythm on defense and started swinging the bats. We've got to take that on the road."