TORONTO – Daulton Varsho and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered to help the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-3 win and sweep of the defending World Series-champion Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Varsho’s two-run blast, his 13th, landed in the Rangers bullpen in a three-run first inning, while Guerrero knocked out his team-leading 19th to right field as part of a three-run third.
The Blue Jays (49-56) won five of their nine-game homestand since the all-star break. The Rangers (51-55) lost three in a row after arriving in town with a five-game win streak.
Toronto righty Jose Berrios (9-8) gave up a run on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in seven innings.
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Texas starter Jon Gray aggravated a right groin injury while warming up in the first inning. He was replaced by Jonathan Hernandez (3-1) before leadoff hitter Spencer Horwitz arrived at the plate.
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The Rangers bullpen already was stretched thin after Saturday’s starter Michael Lorenzen failed to finish the first inning.
Lorenzen wound up making an appearance to start the fifth and worked the final four innings.
Before Varsho’s two-run homer with Ernie Clement aboard, Guerrero knocked in the first run with a sacrifice fly to left field.
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Guerrero’s homer in the third was with one out. Addison Barger then knocked in Justin Turner and Varsho with a double to right-centre.
Varsho opened Saturday’s game with a three-run blast.
After Nathaniel Lowe’s run-scoring single off Berrios put the Rangers on the board in the sixth, Leo Jimenez’s sacrifice fly scored Alejandro Kirk in the bottom half of the inning.
Genesis Cabrera replaced Berrios to start the eighth and promptly gave up a two-run homer to Josh Smith.
Barger and Turner led the Blue Jays offence with two hits apiece before 40,092 at Rogers Centre.
CATCHER CALL-UP
With catcher Danny Jansen traded to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, the Blue Jays recalled Brian Serven from Triple-A Buffalo. The 29-year-old Serven saw action in five Blue Jays games earlier this season.
ON DECK
The Blue Jays begin a four-game set with a doubleheader in Baltimore against the Orioles on Monday.
Yusei Kikuchi, whose three-year contract expires at the end of the year, is the most likely to be moved before the trade Tuesday 6 p.m. trade deadline.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press