Postgame Notes: Blue Jays 11, Rangers 7
TEXAS has lost 3 straight, including each of first 2 G of this weekend series vs. Toronto (0-2)…marks 5th consecutive series loss, as club has gone 1-12 over its last 13 G dating back to 8/27...has lost 6 straight at home (beg. 8/27), one shy of matching longest losing skid ever at Globe Life Field (7 from 7/14-8/3/22)…tonight’s loss secured defeat in season series against the Blue Jays (1-4), as Texas has not won season series vs. TOR since 2012 (6-3).
ADOLIS GARCÍA served as the designated hitter tonight after he did not start each of the team’s last 2 games…ripped a 3-run home run in his 1st at-bat of the night in the 1st inning, cutting Toronto’s lead to 4-3 at the time…registered a career-high 113.0 mph exit velocity on the homer, matching a lineout by Nathaniel Lowe on 4/10 at TOR for the hardest-hit batted ball by a Ranger this season (Statcast)…added a 112.1 mph single in the 3rd, becoming just the 3rd Texas batter (6th instance) in the Statcast era (beg. 2015) to produce multiple batted balls with exit velocities of 112.0+ mph in one game (also Gallo 3x, Mazara 2x)…his team-high 87 RBI are just 3 shy of tying his career high (90 in 2021), and 46 RBI at home are also most among Rangers.
MARCUS SEMIEN has reached base safely via hit or walk in 21 straight games, the longest active on-base streak in MLB, 3rd-longest by a Ranger this season (25-García, 22-Lowe), and T2nd-longest of his career (27 from 9/6/15-4/7/16)…recorded his 24th stolen base following a 1st-inning single, already a career high and the most by a Ranger over a single season since Elvis Andrus (31) and Delino DeShields Jr. (24) in 2019.
SAM HUFF connected for an opposite-field 2-run home run in the 6th inning as the last Ranger to face Kevin Gausman tonight…marked Huff’s 2nd HR at the Major League level this season (also 6/1 vs. TB), and his 1st extra-base hit for Texas since a double later in that same game vs. Tampa Bay.
KOHEI ARIHARA suffered his 3rd loss of the season after he allowed career highs in hits (12), runs (11), earned runs (11), walks (5), and extra-base hits (8) over 3.0 innings…surrendered multiple runs in the 1st (4), 3rd (5), and 4th (2) frames, becoming the 1st Rangers pitcher to permit 11+ runs in a single outing since Austin Bibens-Dirkx on 7/21/18 vs. CLE (4.0 IP, 13 H, 11 R-ER)…Arihara was tagged for 8 extra-base hits tonight (2 HR, 6 2B), matching club record for XBH allowed (5x, last Bibens-Dirkx on 7/21/18 vs. CLE)…tonight’s start boosted his season ERA from 5.29 to 9.45 (22 R-21 ER/20.0 IP).
TORONTO improves to a season-best 18 G over .500 at 78-60...has gone 8-1 in September, 17-6 in last 23 G and 33-17 in last 50 G…club is 8-1 on current road trip and has gone 14-1 in last 15 away games…batted around twice in the first 3 innings and scored 9 runs on 9 H (5 2B and 1 HR) during that stretch…recorded a season-high 7 2B as a team in tonight’s game…are undefeated in season series vs. Texas since 2013, going 42-22 over that span including 4-1 in 2022.
KEVIN GAUSMAN improved to 12-9 on the year after picking up his first win vs TEX this season (1-0, 7.06 ERA (8 ER/10.2 IP)…collected 9 strikeouts, marking the 9th time he has struck out 9 or more batters in a start this season (one shy of tying last year’s career-high mark of 10)…his 5 ER given up tonight tie a season high (4x, last 8/14 vs. CLE)…his 2.07 road ERA coming into tonight’s start ranked 3rd among A.L. starters (1.63-CWS’ Dylan Cease, 1.78-HOU’s Justin Verlander).
BO BICHETTE went 3-for-5 with a career-high 3 doubles in tonight’s ballgame...continued his hot start to the month of September, as he has gone 21-for-40 (.525) with 6 2B, 3B, 6 HR, and 18 RBI...has hit safely in 8 of 9 G played this month including 7 multi-hit games during that stretch…is 33-for-78 (.423) with 10 2B, 3B, 6 HR, and 20 RBI over his last 19 G
SANTIAGO ESPINAL tied a season high with 3 hits, going 3-for-4 with a 2B, BB, 3 RBI, R...has recorded 5 hits in his last 3 G after psoting just 4 in his previous 10 G…is slashing .268/.324/.376/.700 with 25 2B, 7 HR, and 49 RBI this season.
DANNY JANSEN extended his hitting streak to a season-high 4 G after a 4-for-5 performance that included a 2-R HR…Jansen is 8-for-15 (.533) with a HR and 3 RBI during that 4 G stretch…his 4 hits are a season high and match his career high (4, 3x, last 9/12/21 at BAL).
MISCELLANEOUS: Texas scored 7 runs tonight to snap streak of 7 straight games in which it plated 4-or-fewer runs (2.3 R/G over that span)…both teams combined for 28 hits tonight (15-TOR, 13-TEX), a record for most total hits in a single game at Globe Life Field (reg. or postseason)…Bubba Thompson (2-for-3, 2B, R) is batting .357 (10-28) over 9 G in September.
