Jake Burger had three hits and two RBIs Saturday afternoon and the visiting Texas Rangers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4.
Corey Seager added a solo home run for the Rangers, who have won the first three games of the four-game series. Alejandro Osuna and Elias Diaz each had two RBIs.
After Rangers starter Cal Quantrill threw four scoreless innings, Peyton Gray (3-0) shut down a sixth-inning rally and allowed no runs with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Tyler Alexander pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his third save.
Yohendrick Pinango hit a two-run homer and Alejandro Kirk added a solo shot for the Blue Jays, who have lost five in a row. Dylan Cease (4-4) struck out 10, but he allowed four runs, four hits and five walks over 4 2/3 innings.
After Cease allowed two-out walks to Seager and Brandon Nimmo in the first, Burger blooped an RBI single to left center.
The Rangers added five runs in the fifth. Josh Jung walked with one out, took second on Nimmo’s two-out single and scored when Burger grounded a single to left.
Mason Fluharty replaced Cease and walked pinch hitter Ezequiel Duran to load the bases. Osuna lined a two-run single to center. Diaz hit a two-run double to deep right when Nathan Lukes overran the ball.
Toronto scored twice against Robby Ahlstrom in the fifth. Ernie Clement led off with a double and Pinango homered to right center on a first-pitch slider. Pinango was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo Saturday when Jesus Sanchez was put on the injured list with a sprained ankle.
Seager homered to right center against Braydon Fisher on a 2-2 slider with two out in the sixth to push the Rangers’ lead to 7-2.
Kirk led off the Toronto sixth with a homer to left against Joe Ross on a first-pitch slider. Sean Keys, promoted from Triple-A Saturday, followed with a single to right for his first major league hit. Clement singled to left. After a double play, Andres Gimenez stroked an RBI single to right, cutting the lead to 7-4. Gray then replaced Ross.
Texas center fielder Wyatt Langford was scratched with hamstring tightness.
–Field Level Media
