Young Helps Rangers Rout Blue Jays 11-2

TORONTO (AP) - Michael Young hit a three-run homer and a two-run double to help the Texas Rangers beat the slumping Toronto Blue Jays 11-2 on Sunday.

David Murphy also connected and doubled twice and Geovany Soto had three hits as baseball's highest scoring offense passed 600 runs for the season. The AL West leaders top the majors with 606 runs scored.

Matt Harrison (14-7) pitched eight strong innings to match his career high for wins, set last season. The left-hander allowed two runs and two hits, struck out seven and walked one.

Harrison entered with an 0-2 record and a 12.00 ERA in five career games against Toronto, including a May 2 loss at Rogers Centre when he allowed a season-high eight runs in 3 1-3 innings.

Held to four runs while splitting the first two games of the series, Texas pounded out 19 hits in the finale.

Young's fourth homer in the fifth gave him as many RBIs with one swing as he had collected in 17 previous August games. The drive also snapped a career-long 88-game drought between home runs. Young last went deep in a May 7 win at Baltimore.

Murphy went 3 for 4 with a walk and hit a solo drive in the ninth against rookie Chad Jenkins for his 11th homer of the season. Mark Lowe completed the two-hitter as Texas won for the third time in four games.

Mike McCoy hit a solo homer and drove in two runs as the Blue Jays lost for the 16th time in 21 games. Toronto went 3-7 on a 10-game homestand against the AL's three division leaders, New York, Chicago and Texas.

Trailing 1-0 on McCoy's groundout, Texas took the lead in the third when Soto and Mitch Moreland hit back-to-back RBI singles.

Murphy doubled home Young in the fourth before the Rangers pulled away with a five-run, 10-batter fifth. Josh Hamilton hit an RBI double, Nelson Cruz singled home a run and Young whacked a first-pitch homer to center.

Most of the damage came off Henderson Alvarez, who allowed career highs of eight runs and 12 hits in 4 1-3 innings and lost his fourth straight start. Alvarez (7-11) is winless since July 28 against Detroit.

McCoy hit his first homer in the fifth, but Texas made it 10-2 in the sixth when Young hit a two-run double off Brad Lincoln. Young's five RBIs was a season high.

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