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Blue Jays-Rangers Preview

Aug 30, 2009 - 11:55 PM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Toronto (58-69) at Texas (72-56), 8:05 p.m. EDT

Considering how little they helped the Texas Rangers' cause in the postseason race over the weekend, the Toronto Blue Jays probably won't receive a warm welcome to Rangers Ballpark on Monday.

Texas, meanwhile, will be thrilled to return home after a challenging road trip ended with a heartbreaking loss, as the Rangers try to regroup during a three-day, four-game series against the Blue Jays.

The Rangers (72-57) dropped 3 1/2 games behind Boston in the wild-card chase after losing two of three in Minnesota over the weekend - while the Blue Jays were getting swept by the Red Sox.

Sunday's 5-3 loss was especially difficult to swallow for Texas, which led 3-2 in the eighth inning. The whole series was frustrating for the Rangers' offense, which managed eight total runs, with Josh Hamilton going 1 for 12.

"It hurts," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "But we'll bounce back."

The Rangers were 4-5 overall on the trip, which also took them to Tampa Bay and New York to face two other teams in contention. Their much-improved starting pitching wasn't bad considering the competition, going 3-3 with a 4.41 ERA in the nine games.

"If we could have won today, it seemed like it would have made it a pretty decent road trip playing three teams that play really well at home," starter Kevin Millwood said. "To win the last two series would have been big for us, I think. We just didn't pull it off. We have another month to go. We're definitely not out of it. We're not done. We just have to keep playing hard."

Texas, 41-24 at home, will now give the ball to Derek Holland, the rookie left-hander who will try to rebound from a difficult start at Yankee Stadium.

Holland (7-8, 4.95 ERA) had been 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his previous three outings before allowing six runs in six-plus innings of a 9-2 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday.

"The results certainly aren't what we wanted, but I didn't think I pitched badly," Holland said.

He pitched 2 1-3 innings of scoreless relief at Toronto on April 22 in his major league debut.

This time, he'll face a struggling Blue Jays lineup that has scored three or fewer runs nine times in the last 14 games, with the team going 3-11 over that span. Toronto (58-70) was blanked by journeyman Paul Byrd and the Boston bullpen in a 7-0 loss Sunday.

High-priced outfielder Vernon Wells went 0 for 4 as his average dipped to .253.

"It's a little tough to pitch when you don't get any runs," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said.

Toronto's starters have also struggled, with ace Roy Halladay losing his third straight start Sunday. Brett Cecil's woes have been even more profound, as he has allowed 12 runs - nine earned - in 7 2-3 innings in his last two starts. He didn't get out of the fourth inning in a 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

"Up in the strike zone, he stayed up most of the time," Gaston said of Cecil. "When he's down he pitches pretty good, his fastball sinks and runs a little bit and his changeup is good down. It looks like he's getting his body out in front of his arm and he's dragging his arm through."

Cecil (5-3, 4.96) has never faced the Rangers. The Blue Jays are 4-2 against Texas this year, and Toronto outfielder Adam Lind had three home runs and eight RBIs in those games, but they came before mid-June, when the Blue Jays still had a winning record.