Rangers Lose To Blue Jays
TORONTO — It took a while for Justin Smoak to hit his first home run of the season.
His timing could not have been better, as the Toronto Blue Jays first baseman led off the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night against Texas Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson with a shot to left field that tied the game 1-1.
Smoak felt so good about it that he came right back with two-run shot to left in the 10th to against right-hander Phil Klein to give the Blue Jays a 3-1 win.
“It’s pretty cool,” Smoak said of his first career walk-off homer. “For me, honestly I’m just trying to get the ball in the air. There aren’t too many hits on the ground these days with the shifts. I was able to get some pitches out over the plate today that I was able to hit out to left field. I’m starting to get consistent at-bats and starting to feel better.”
The Blue Jays loaded the bases in the ninth after Smoak’s homer but could not push across another run in the inning.
Rougned Odor led off the game for Texas with his fourth home run of the season and the first of his career opening a game, and it stood up until the ninth.
Toronto right-hander Joe Biagini (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings to record his first major league win.
Tolleson blew a save for the second time in 11 chances.
“I felt good tonight,” Tolleson said. “Smoak, I got ahead of him, I made my
pitches early, I was trying to go up and in with the fastball. Just didn’t execute it, missed my spot, kind of left it over the middle of the plate, and he put a good swing on it.”
Smoak’s second homer came with one out and also scored Edwin Encarnacion, who led off with a single against Klein (0-1).
“It’s a tough spot,” Klein said. “You can kind of play out the game, and we got our backend guys in there, and they did a great job. Martin (Perez) had a great start, the bullpen guys did great, and it’s tough, you feel like you let the team down like that. It’s hard and lonely.”
The Rangers (15-12) and Blue Jays (13-15) split the first two games of the four-game series, a rematch of last year’s American League Division Series won by Toronto.
It was the first win this season by a Blue Jays reliever.
“They were overdue,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “And Biagini got his first major league win. Smoaky put us on the board. It was a battle. The pitching has been great. They all pitched well. We did some good things.
“We needed that, the type of ballgame it was. We’ve been having trouble in one-run games, close games. We definitely needed that. I guess that’s an understatement.”
Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada allowed two hits, including a home run, one walk and one run in six innings. He had three strikeouts.
Perez needed 90 pitches to work five scoreless innings in which he allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four.
Perez was replaced in the sixth by right-hander Tom Wilhelmsen.
Right-hander Jesse Chavez took over from Estrada in the seventh and allowed only a walk in 1 1/3 innings while striking out three.
Jake Diekman took over for Texas in the seventh. The left-hander hit his first batter, Kevin Pillar, with a pitch and walked Russell Martin on four pitches.
Darwin Barney struck out looking after a 15-pitch at-bat for the first out, and Michael Saunders followed by striking out swinging.
Tony Barnette replaced Diekman, and the right-hander ended the inning on a line drive to left by Josh Donaldson.
Brett Cecil replaced Chavez with one out in the eighth. The left-hander allowed a single to right by Odor and an infield single to shortstop by Nomar Mazara.
Right-hander Roberto Osuna replaced Cecil, who ended the inning on a double play that started on a popup to second baseman Barney in shallow right field. Barney threw to third to easily catch Odor, who tagged up and tried to advance.
Right-hander Sam Dyson pitched a perfect eighth for the Rangers.
Prince Fielder led off the top of the ninth with a double against Biagini, and Hanser Alberto ran for the designated hitter. Ian Desmond lined a single to right that was first ruled a catch and then changed to a hit after a video review, leaving runners at the corners. Alberto was out at home on a grounder to second, Elvis Andrus struck out, and Brett Nicholas grounded out to second to keep the score at 1-0.
