Blue Jays 7 - 8 Rangers
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Hamilton homers in 13th to lift Rangers over Blue Jays

May 27, 2012 - 12:37 AM

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Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Josh Hamilton's 20th home run of the season was a game-winner.

Hamilton belted a two-run homer to center field in the 13th inning on Saturday, lifting the Texas Rangers to an 8-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hamilton's blast into the outfield grass capped a three-run inning and came after the Blue Jays had taken a 7-5 lead.

Hours earlier, Nelson Cruz, Yorvit Torrealba and Mitch Moreland hit back-to- back-to-back solo homers for Texas in the sixth inning and Blue Jays starter Henderson Alvarez was ejected after throwing an inside pitch to the next batter.

It was another big offensive output for the Rangers, who won the opener of the three-game series, 14-3, on Friday behind Cruz's career high-tying eight RBI, including a grand slam.

Ryota Igarashi walked Ian Kinsler leading off the 13th, Elvis Andrus knocked him in with a double and Toronto pulled Igarashi for Jason Frasor (0-1), who had Hamilton down 1-2 before the Rangers slugger drove an off-speed pitch into a waiting group of fans, many of them children, for the walk-off win.

The Rangers have won back-to-back games for the first time since May 10-11, while Toronto dropped its fourth in a row.

Colby Rasmus hit a two-run homer for the Blue Jays. Their two-run top of the 13th included Omar Vizquel's RBI single off Robbie Ross. Yoshinori Tateyama (1-0) finished the 13th to earn his first win of the season and third of his career.

Cruz, Torrealba and Moreland gave the Rangers a 5-4 lead with three straight two-out homers in the bottom of the sixth, each of them to the left side.

Alvarez was ahead in the count 1-2 when he threw a fastball inside to Kinsler, who thrust his hips back to avoid the pitch. Home plate umpire Marty Foster walked in front of home plate and ejected Alvarez anyway, and Jays manager John Farrell stormed out of the dugout to argue.

Luis Perez retired Kinsler on a pop up and the Blue Jays came back to tie the game at 5-5 after Jose Bautista led off the seventh with a double and scored on J.P. Arencibia's one-out single.

The Rangers stranded runners at second and third base in the ninth inning and left the winning run at third in the 10th and 11th. They stranded runners at first and second in the 12th, but came through an inning later.

"It was a battle to the end. Both teams kept fighting," said Rangers manager Ron Washington. "We kept putting ourselves in position to win but they kept stopping us. ... Everyone up and down the lineup had an opportunity to deliver and Hamilton delivered."

Earlier, the Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, sparked by Kinsler's leadoff double. Kinsler scored on a Hamilton ground out and Adrian Beltre added a sacrifice fly.

They threatened again in the second, but Alvarez escaped a bases-loaded jam in one pitch when he got Kinsler to ground into a double play. He got out of another bases-loaded situation in the third and the Blue Jays went on to give him the lead.

Rasmus' fourth homer of the season scored David Cooper, who had led off the fifth inning with a single. The Jays then took the lead and chased Texas starter Colby Lewis with two runs in the sixth.

Eric Thames had a double in the inning and Cooper and Vizquel both hit RBI singles to knock Lewis out for Alexi Ogando, who retired two straight batters.

Game Notes

The game lasted 4 hours and 38 minutes...The Blue Jays are 1-4 on a six-game road trip...Alvarez gave up five runs -- four earned -- on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings...Lewis lasted 5 1/3 frames and allowed four runs on 10 hits and struck out six.






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