*Photo from AP News*
The offense in Texas can't be messed with. Robbie Grossman drove in a pair of runs, Nathaniel Lowe homered, and the Texas Rangers shut out the Toronto Blue Jays with a 10-0 victory on Wednesday night in Toronto.
After a very noteworthy tailspin, the Rangers have seemed to right the ship, having won 5 straight games and 6 of 10, holding on to the second wild card spot in the AL. The Rangers offense hit 3 home runs as they controlled the game from the start.
Texas manager Bruce Bochy said of the offense that "To come in here and play this well, it does a lot for them. It just reminds them how good they are. We’re getting production throughout the order right now, big hits."
After a scoreless 3 innings, it was Jonah Heim who got the scoring started for the Rangers. He hit an RBI single in the 4th inning, plating Corey Seager to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Later in the 4th, it was Lowe who came up big. He delivered a 3 run home run to center field, making the Rangers lead a 4-0 margin.
One inning later, Grossman delivered his own fireworks. In the 5th, Grossman hit a two run home run, making the Rangers lead 6-0. In the 6th inning, Evan Carter added an RBI single, scoring Lowe to make it 7-0. In the 9th inning, Mitch Garver delivered the exclamation point with a 3 run home run, making it a 10-0 final.
Jordan Montgomery delivered a strong start in the wake of losing Max Scherzer to injury, pitching 7 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and a walk. Martin Perez pitched a scoreless 8th inning and Ian Kennedy worked the 9th.
Bochy said of Montgomery's start that "We lose one of our guys, Max, I mean, it's a tough loss. But, you know, for him to go out there and do what he did, I think that just sends even a greater sense of confidence through the club that, ‘Hey, we’re very good. We have depth in the rotation and we're going to be fine.’"
Yusei Kikuchi was tagged for 6 runs on 5 hits and two walks over 5 innings for the Blue Jays. Bowden Francis allowed a run in the 6th before Jordan Hicks and Genesis Cabrera had a scoreless inning each. Chad Green worked the 9th and allowed 3 runs.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of the team's 3rd straight loss that "You just want guys to be who they are. There’s been ebbs and flows with individuals and there’s been ebbs and flows with the team. And it seems to have happened, whether it's pitching or offense, at an inopportune time."
Up next, the series concludes on Thursday. The Rangers start Nathan Eovaldi as they go for the sweep, while the Blue Jays give the start to Kevin Gausman.
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