Rangers Rally Past Blue Jays In 9th Inning
ARLINGTON (AP) – Michael Young drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Texas Rangers rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night.
The Rangers trailed 4-3 when Mark Rzepczynski (2-3) walked pinch-hitter Mike Napoli leading off the ninth. Rzepczynski threw wide of first for an error on Mitch Moreland's sacrifice bunt.
Closer Jon Rauch came in, and the runners moved to second and third on Ian Kinsler's bunt.
Napoli scored on Elvis Andrus' suicide-squeeze bunt to tie it at 4, and after Josh Hamilton was intentionally walked, pinch-runner Craig Gentry crossed the plate on Young's drive over the head of right fielder Corey Patterson.
Darren Oliver (3-5) retired the final batter of the eighth for the victory as the Rangers won for the 14th time in 16 games.
Toronto's J.P. Arencibia homered for the third time in two games to spark a three-run sixth.
Rangers starter Matt Harrison had retired 12 of the previous 13 batters and took a 3-1 lead into the sixth before Arencibia led off with his 15th homer of the season, following up on Friday night's two-homer effort in a 12-2 loss to Texas.
Yunel Escobar followed with a double and scored on Eric Thames' triple to tie it at 3. Jose Bautista's single drove in Thames to put the Jays in front.
Toronto's Carlos Villanueva pitched into the sixth in his first career start against the Rangers. Villanueva, a converted reliever, allowed three runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 105-pitch outing.
Harrison gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings and matched a career-high with eight strikeouts on another 100-degree night in north Texas.
Hamilton, hitless in his previous 10 at-bats at the start of the night, went 3 for 4 for the AL West-leading Rangers.
Adam Lind's RBI double in the first gave the Jays the lead. It was Lind's 29th RBI in 21 career games at Texas.
The Rangers drew even at 1 in the third when Ian Kinsler doubled and Hamilton hit a two-out triple.
Chris Davis' RBI single in the fourth gave Texas a 2-1 lead, and Nelson Cruz added a run-scoring double in the fifth to give him nine RBIs in his last two games.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
