Rangers Lose To Blue Jays
TORONTO — Edwin Encarnacion has been hampered at times by a sore left shoulder.
But it gave the Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter little trouble Friday night as he hit two home runs, including a grand slam
With three hits and five runs batted in from Encarnacion and left-hander Mark Buehrle pitching seven solid innings, the Blue Jays trounced the Texas Rangers 12-2.
Encarnacion said the shoulder feels better, and he helps relieve the strain on it by finishing his swing with both hands on the bat.
“Some swings, when I miss, that’s when I feel it more,” he said. “With treatment, we try to do the best we can to get it stronger and try to be healthy. (The two-hand finish) is putting less strain in the shoulder. When I finish with one hand, I go all the way through. When I finish with two hands, I just go where I have to go so I don’t go all the way back. That’s been better.”
The 20th career multi-homer game for Encarnacion helped Buehrle (8-4) to his first win since June 3. He allowed five hits, two walks and two runs while
striking out five to end a string of three no decisions.
The Blue Jays (40-35) also got a solo home run and two runs batted in from catcher Russell Martin and a solo homer by left fielder Danny Valencia.
Designated hitter Prince Fielder homered and doubled for the Rangers (37-37), who have lost six in a row.
Rangers right-hander Nick Martinez (5-4) allowed nine hits, four walks and nine runs (eight earned) in six innings.
He walked two in the first inning before Encarnacion hit his grand slam.
“The key part was falling behind.” Martinez said. “(In the first inning) I was just trying to find the strike zone. Tough way to start. At that point it was just try to go as deep in the game as you can and try not to leave the bullpen out to dry.”
Left-hander Ross Detwiler took over for Texas in the seventh. He allowed Encarnacion’s second homer of the game (his 16th of the season) and an RBI single by center fielder Kevin Pillar.
“He’s having a good, solid season but he hasn’t really caught fire like we’ve seen him in the past,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said regarding Encarnacion. “I think he will. Every time he steps in the box, he’s got a chance to go deep, and that’s not a good feeling on the other side.”
Infielder Adam Rosales pitched the eighth for the Rangers and gave up the fourth homer of the season by Valencia, who went in as a pinch-hitter.
Fielder hit his 12th homer of the season and the 300th of his career in the first inning. Fielder and his father, Cecil, joined Bobby and Barry Bonds as the only father-son combinations to have each hit 300 or more career home runs.
Encarnacion hit his 15th homer of the season — and his seventh career grand slam — in the bottom of the first to give Toronto a 4-1 lead.
“The grand slam early was a big blow,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “We’ll come out tomorrow and get after it and see if we can’t find a way to stop this bleeding. Once you fall behind a group of hitters like this, they love to charge the fastball and that’s what they did tonight.”
The Rangers scored one run in the second. Shortstop Elvis Andrus walked and second baseman Rougned Odor doubled. Andrus came home when center fielder Leonys Martin grounded out to second.
The Blue Jays added two runs in the bottom of the second.
Pillar led off with a double to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. He was safe at third on a grounder to second by second baseman Devon Travis, leaving runners at the corners. Pillar scored on a fielder’s choice grounder to second by shortstop Jose Reyes, who was called safe but was ruled out after a video review.
Travis took third on Martinez’s throwing error on a pickoff attempt at second and scored on third baseman Josh Donaldson’s bloop single to right.
Martin hit his 11th home run of the season with two outs in the third to bump the lead to 7-2.
The Blue Jays took a 9-2 lead in the fifth. Right fielder Jose Bautista walked, Encarnacion singled and first baseman Chris Colabello doubled and took third on a throw that caught Encarnacion at home. Martin hit a sacrifice fly.
