Blue Jays centre-fielder Vernon Wells homered three times in the first two games of the series against the Rangers. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

At stake

With home runs in each of the last nine games, the Toronto Blue Jays' juggernaut is in full swing heading into Wednesday night's tilt with the Texas Rangers, the third of a four-game set at the Rogers Centre (7:07 p.m. ET).

The Blue Jays (72-66) have homered 20 times during the nine-game binge and top the major leagues with 215 homers.

Toronto has feasted on Texas pitching this season, clubbing 21 home runs in eight meetings, including four in Tuesday's 8-5 victory over the Rangers (75-63).

Aided by the power surge, the Blue Jays are riding a seven-game winning streak over the reeling Rangers, losers of five straight games and nine of their last 12.

Despite the slump, Texas holds a seven-game lead on the second-place Oakland Athletics in the American League West Division. Toronto trails the front-running New York Yankees by 13½ games in the AL East, and the Tampa Bay Rays by 12 games in the wild-card race.

Players to watch

Toronto: Vernon Wells. The veteran centre-fielder is flashing all-star form with six hits and four homers in his last 11 at-bats. Eight of his 27 homers this season have come at the expense of Rangers hurlers.

Texas: Ian Kinsler. OK, so he went 0-for-5 in Tuesday's setback, but the second baseman is 2-for-3 lifetime with a homer against Mark Rzepczynski, who will take the mound Wednesday for the Blue Jays.

Pitching matchup

Rzepczynski (1-3, 6.62) vs. Derek Holland (2-3, 4.93).

Neither left-hander was particularly sharp in his previous outing. Rzepczynski lasted just four innings, yielding five runs and three walks in Toronto's 7-5 loss to the Yankees last Saturday. Rzepczynski has faced the Rangers just once before, permitting three runs over six innings in a 5-2 loss to Texas on Sept. 1, 2009. Holland, recently recalled from the minors to replace Rich Harden in the rotation, surrendered all four runs in a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Friday. He hasn't pitched against Toronto since being pounded for a career-worst 10 runs in three innings in an 18-10 loss to the Blue Jays on Aug. 31, 2009.

Injury update

Toronto: Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion remains on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left wrist.

Texas: Centre-fielder Josh Hamilton is listed day-to-day with bruised ribs, while shortstop Elvis Andrus is questionable (hamstring).

The series

Wells walloped a three-run homer, Aaron Hill had a two-run blast and Yunel Escobar added a solo shot in a 7-2 Toronto win in Monday's series opener. The next night, Wells homered twice and Adam Lind and John Buck hit solo homers as the Blue Jays prevailed 8-5.

What they said

"I wish I could do it against everybody else; we'd be closer in the races. I can't explain it. It's just one of those years where it seems I get lucky against that team." — Blue Jays slugger Vernon Wells on homering eight times against Texas

"We have to keep these guys in the ballpark. If we don't keep these guys in the ballpark, we don't have a chance." — Rangers manager Ron Washington on the Blue Jays

With files from The Canadian Press