Blue Jays Rout Rangers
TORONTO — Derek Holland could not throw a pitch past Edward Encarnacion.
The Texas Rangers left-hander first faced the Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter in the first inning with the bases loaded.
Encarnacion hit a three-run double on the first pitch.
The next time Encarnacion came to bat was in the third. He hit Holland’s first pitch for a three-run homer.
Encarnacion’s six RBIs were plenty for Toronto left-hander J.A. Happ, who pitched seven innings in the Blue Jays’ 12-2 victory over the Rangers.
The home run was the 202nd for Encarnacion, tying him for fifth with George Bell on the Blue Jays’ all-time list.
Encarnacion, who also had a sixth-inning double, had his first six-RBI game since Aug. 29 when he had nine. He has three games with six or more RBIs as a Blue Jay, tying him with Bell and Adam Lind atop the all-time club list.
“May’s a good month for Eddie, no doubt,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “When he’s just missing his pitch he hits a lot of foul balls straight back on balls he normally squares up pretty good. He doesn’t hit a lot of balls to the right-center area but when he starts shooting some balls that way, driving balls that way, you know he’s staying on it.”
Encarnacion leads the majors with 32 homers in May since 2013, including 16 in 2014.
“I’m really glad to have tied George Bell,” Encarnacion said. “I feel better every
day. When I have games like today I know my confidence gets up and I know my game is going to step up.
“I have a good month of May every year, it seems like it’s part of the game.”
Holland (3-2) allowed 11 runs, 11 hits and three walks (one intentional) in 2 2/3 innings.
His string of 16 1/3 scoreless innings at Rogers Centre did not survive the first inning.
“I’m definitely upset with that,” Holland said. “It’s just one of these starts, I’ve got to hurry up and put it past me. I’m pretty (teed) off with myself. I didn’t perform the way I should of and now I’ve got to get ready for the next start. Missed spots, missed locations, all in all just a terrible performance by myself.”
Encarnacion’s third hit of the game came against left-hander Cesar Ramos, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings after replacing Holland in the six-run third.
Kevin Pillar added three hits and two RBIs for the Blue Jays (15-15), who dropped the opener of the four-game series before winning the next three from the Rangers (15-14).
Prince Fielder had two hits and an RBI for the Rangers while Nomar Mazara added two hits.
Happ (4-0) allowed six hits, one walk and one run in seven innings. He struck out five.
“The Rangers can put up the same numbers we did, they’re very capable, “Happ said. “So I did try to keep the edge, be aggressive and attack, get strike one and I was able to do that for the most part.”
“Obviously it puts their pitcher in a position where he can relax and go ahead and attack the strike zone and it’s what he did,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “It’s not fun, it’s obviously a challenge five runs down early and the six runs in the third is what did us in.”
Left-hander Chad Girodo, who was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo Tuesday, replaced Happ for the eighth inning and pitched around an error.
The Blue Jays added a run in the eighth inning against right-hander Phil Klein when a single by Justin Smoak followed two walks.
Blue Jays right-hander Ryan Tepera pitched the ninth, allowing three straight two-out singles and one run. Bryan Holaday had the RBI hit.
The Blue Jays scored five in the first, three on the bases-loaded double by Encarnacion.
The drive to center scored Pillar and Josh Donaldson, who singled, and Jose Bautista, who walked.
Russell Martin, Darwin Barney and Ezequiel Carrera followed with singles that produced two more runs.
The Blue Jays added six runs in the third, including three on the fifth homer of the season by Encarnacion.
Pillar hit a two-run double, Donaldson was intentionally walked and Bautista had an RBI on a fielder’s choice grounder to third to set up Encarnacion’s homer to left on the first pitch.
