Rangers end 5-game skid, beat Jays 8-1
September 9, 2010
TORONTO (AP)—First place is a lot more fun when you win. Just ask the TexasRangers.
Ian Kinsler(notes) led off the game with a home run, Derek Holland(notes) won for thefirst time since mid-May and the AL West-leading Rangers stopped their five-gamelosing streak with an 8-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
Texas Rangers ' Nelson Cru… AP – Sep 8, 10:21 pm EDT Tex-Tor Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init(); Series at a Glance Texas 2 Toronto 7 Mon, Sep 6 – Final Texas 5 Toronto 8 Tue, Sep 7 – Final Texas 8 Toronto 1 Wed, Sep 8 – Final Texas at Toronto Thu, Sep 9 – 7:07 pm ET
“When you’re not doing what you want to do, the mood can get somber,”Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “We just had to get back to doing what wecan do. Tonight we did, and tonight we had some fun.”
Nelson Cruz(notes) also homered for Texas, which had lost seven straight to theBlue Jays since a victory on opening day.
“We want to make sure we enjoy this time,” Rangers infielder Michael Young(notes)said. “It’s toward the end of the season, this is what we’ve worked so hard forand we’re going to enjoy it.”
Young and Kinsler said the Rangers returned to their preferred style ofplay, full of energy and enthusiasm, taking the game to the opponent.
“We forced them to get back on their heels a little bit and that’s the typeof baseball that we play normally,” Kinsler said. “It’s nice to get back tothat.”
Kinsler hit the 13th leadoff home run of his career and first this season.Cruz launched a two-run drive off the center-field restaurant in the ninth, his17th.
Jeff Francoeur(notes) added three hits for the Rangers.
Holland (3-3) left after five scoreless innings. He gave up only threesingles and struck out eight.
“I was using all my pitches,” Holland said. “Me and (catcher BengieMolina(notes)) were definitely on the same page.”
Texas had surrendered seven homers in the first two games of this series butgave up just one in this game, Jose Molina’s(notes) solo blast in the eighth.
“Derek and the other pitchers did a great job and we stopped them fromputting up runs via the home run,” Washington said. “I do believe that as longas we can keep them in the ballpark, we’re going to beat them.”
Holland had lost his past three decisions, and was winless since beating theAngels on May 17. He missed 54 games in June and July with shoulder and kneeproblems and returned to the rotation last week when righty Rich Harden(notes) wasmoved to the bullpen.
The left-hander was hit hard in his only other appearance against the BlueJays, allowing a career-high 10 runs in three innings of an 18-10 home loss onAug. 31, 2009.
Molina’s drive to left was the only run for the Blue Jays, who extendedtheir streak of games with at least one homer to 10.
The crowd of 10,616 marked the second straight night and seventh time thisseason the Blue Jays have played before fewer than 11,000 fans.
Matt Harrison(notes) worked the sixth for Texas and Darren O’Day(notes) left afterMolina’s leadoff homer in the eighth. Darren Oliver(notes) replaced him and finishedthe inning before Neftali Feliz(notes) pitched the ninth.
Kinsler homered on the fifth pitch of the game from Marc Rzepczynski(notes) (1-4),now winless in five starts. The homer was Kinsler’s eighth.
“I was just trying to get something started quick, trying to hit a ballhard and get a little fire going,” Kinsler said.
It was the Rangers’ first leadoff homer since Kinsler connected offRzepczynski on Sept. 1, 2009.
Texas added one more in the first when Young walked and Vladimir Guerrero(notes)and Francoeur hit a broken-bat single.
Young had an RBI single in the fifth, and the Rangers made it 4-0 with anunearned run off Brian Tallet(notes) in the sixth, with Francoeur scoring on a throwingerror by shortstop Yunel Escobar(notes).
Bengie Molina hit an RBI single off Josh Roenicke(notes) in the Texas eighth andthe Rangers capped it with three in the ninth off left-hander David Purcey(notes). Cruzhomered to left-center and David Murphy(notes) had an RBI single.
Singles by John Buck(notes) and Jose Molina and a fielder’s choice grounder fromMike McCoy(notes) gave Toronto runners at the corners with two outs in the fifth, butHolland ended his outing by getting Escobar to line out to short.
Notes: Rangers OF Josh Hamilton(notes) (sore ribs) played catch before the game,his first baseball activity since crashing into the outfield wall in Minnesotalast Saturday. His return date is still unknown. … Texas LHP Cliff Lee(notes) (back)will return to the rotation Sunday against New York. … Toronto OF Fred Lewis(notes),who had missed the past five games with a sore right elbow, pinch-hit in theeighth and flied out. … Blue Jays 3B John McDonald(notes) (sore left arm) wasscratched from the lineup and replaced by Jarrett Hoffpauir(notes).
