Blue Jays drop double dip in Texas
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 | 3:23 AM ET
CBC Sports
Marc Rzepczynski delivers a pitch in Tuesday's 5-2 Jays loss. (Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press)The Toronto Blue Jays played a pair and dropped a pair at Texas on Tuesday, losing both ends of a twi-night doubleheader to the hometown Rangers by identical scores of 5-2.
"It was a long day, especially when you don't score runs," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said.
Toronto starter Marc Rzepczynski (2-4) posted a career-high nine strikeouts in the opener, only to be victimized by shoddy fielding.
Making his final start this season, the rookie southpaw surrendered three runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings for the Blue Jays (59-72), losers in five of their last six games and 15 of 20.
"It was OK, it wasn't great," said Rzepczynski, who will be shut down to avoid arm fatigue.
"I struggled the first couple of innings and they're a good hitting team and hit a couple of good pitches. Overall, though, I think I did OK."
"I thought he pitched great and has done a good job all year," Gaston said. "I'm sure he is going home this off-season feeling good.
"He has to be proud of what he has done and he will go home on a high note. When you lose, you lose, but you have got to look at it like he pitched well."
Brandon League relieved Rzepczynski in the seventh inning and coughed up two runs on a hit, two walks and a fielding error by third baseman John McDonald.
Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis had two-run singles as the Rangers (74-58) crept to within 3½ games of the front-running Boston Red Sox in the American League wild-card race.
Fast track to Toronto
Marc Rzepczynski, last season's MVP with the class-A Lansing Lugnuts, went 7-5 at double-A and 2-0 at triple-A this season before being called up to Toronto on July 1. He is 2-4 in 11 MLB starts with 60 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings.
"I would have never thought I would get here. But now that the season is over, I feel like I can pitch at this level." — Marc Rzepczynski
Ian Kinsler staked Texas to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, smacking Rzepczynski's third pitch of the contest into the left-field seats for his 29th home run of the season.
Rzepczynski wasn't the least bit rattled — he recorded the next five outs on strikeouts.
Toronto tied it 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning when Adam Lind walked and later scored when Rangers third baseman Michael Young failed to backhand a hard grounder to third by Vernon Wells.
Texas regained the lead in home half of the frame on a two-run single from Davis that bounded beyond the reach of a lackadaisical Lyle Overbay at first base.
The ball eluded Overbay's grasp as he ranged to his right on what seemed to be a routine play.
Lind trimmed Toronto's deficit to 3-2 with a solo home run to right field, his 28th this season.
Texas starter Dustin Nippert (5-2) earned the win, permitting just two runs on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts in six innings.
Hamilton homers twice off Tallet
Brian Tallet (5-9) took the hill for Toronto in the nightcap and breezed through the first three innings before falling victim to Josh Hamilton not once, but twice.
Hamilton tagged Tallet for a pair of monstrous home runs, his first in 23 games and 99 at-bats.
"I was hoping I remembered how to jog around the bases," Hamilton quipped. "There was a sense of relief."
"I certainly hope that it got him locked in," enthused Rangers manager Ron Washington.
Hamilton homered in the fourth and fifth innings off Tallet, who was charged with four runs and six hits with four walks and four strikeouts in five innings.
Tallet further contributed to his own demise by failing to cover first base on Davis's infield single and throwing wildly to the plate as another run scored.
"If I found a way to keep it 2-0, it could have been a different game," Tallet said. "With us not playing our best baseball right now, it is hard to afford a team a four-run lead and expect us to steadily come back."
Davis drilled his 17th home run in the sixth inning off reliever Shawn Camp to make it 5-0 before the Blue Jays hit the board on RBI singles from Overbay and Aaron Hill in the seventh and eighth, respectively.
"It is real tough," Tallet said. "You're talking about a team that was 10, 15 games over .500 for a couple months. But we fell apart.
"It is tough. We have lost a lot of close games.
"That tells you we're pretty close. But there is something missing."
Texas starter Brandon McCarthy (6-2) limited Toronto to one run on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.
Francisco retired the side in the ninth for his second save of the night and 21st overall.
With files from The Canadian Press
