Beltre's Homer Puts Rangers Past Blue Jays 6-4
TORONTO (AP) — Adrian Beltre hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning, Nelson Cruz and David Murphy also connected and the Texas Rangers rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Sunday.
One day after the Blue Jays beat Texas in 18 innings, Beltre hit an opposite-field shot to right off Neil Wagner for his 14th homer of the season. That helped the Rangers avoid a three-game sweep and their first four-game losing streak of the season.
Neal Cotts (2-0) worked one inning for the win and Joe Nathan escaped a ninth-inning jam for his 19th save in 20 chances.
Wagner (1-1) had pitched 7 2-3 scoreless innings since being promoted from Triple-A Buffalo on May 29.
Cruz hit a solo homer in the fourth, his team-leading 15th. He finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Beltre went 2 for 4 with a walk, extending his hitting streak to 14 games.
Adam Lind hit a three-run homer for the Blue Jays, who had won three straight.
Pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis walked to begin the bottom of the ninth and advanced to second when Elvis Andrus bobbled Munenori Kawasaki's grounder to shortstop for an error.
Both runners advanced on Melky Cabrera's sacrifice bunt before Jose Bautista struck out on three pitches, then was ejected for arguing with plate umpire Gary Darling. Bautista jawed with Darling, then tossed his bat, helmet and elbow pad on the field in protest before leaving.
Nathan closed it out by getting Edwin Encarnacion to pop out to second.
The Blue Jays took a 4-0 lead with a two-out rally in the third. Cabrera walked, Bautista reached on an infield single when second baseman Jurickson Profar slipped, and Encarnacion hit an RBI single. Lind followed with a three-run drive to center, his sixth.
Making his second start since missing 31 games with a right triceps injury, Josh Johnson allowed three runs and five hits in five innings for Toronto. He walked four and struck out four.
Johnson didn't allow a hit until Cruz's two-out homer in the fourth. Murphy followed with a walk and scored on a double by Chris McGuiness, the first hit and RBI of his career.
The Rangers cut it to 4-3 on Cruz's RBI single in the fifth, then tied it against reliever Juan Perez in the sixth. Leury Garcia scored from third when catcher Josh Thole made an errant throw to second on Craig Gentry's stolen base.
Gentry went to third on the play but was called out for leaving the bag too soon on shallow pop fly by Andrus, mistakenly thinking the ball had dropped in for a hit.
Beltre's two-out homer gave the Rangers the lead in the seventh, and Murphy added some insurance by going deep on Dustin McGowan's first pitch of the eighth, his eighth homer of the season.
Rangers rookie right-hander Justin Grimm allowed four runs and five hits in 5 2-3 innings. He walked three and struck out six.
NOTES: Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said SS Jose Reyes (left ankle) should be ready to begin a minor league rehab assignment within the next 10 days. ... The Blue Jays recalled RHP Thad Weber from Triple-A Buffalo to replace RHP Brad Lincoln, who was optioned to Triple-A after pitching four innings Saturday. ... Toronto will activate LHP Darren Oliver (shoulder) off the disabled list before Monday's game against the Chicago White Sox. ... The Rangers put RHP Michael Kirkman on the 15-day DL after a recurrence of lymphoma around his right triceps. The team says a complete recovery is expected. ... The Rangers also put RHP Alexi Ogando (shoulder) on the 15-day DL, recalled RHP Josh Lindblom from Triple-A Round Rock and selected the contract of right-hander Kyle McLellan from Triple-A. ... Texas 2B Ian Kinsler (bruised ribs) has started hitting off a tee but has no timetable for a return. Kinsler has not played since May 17.
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