• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Rangers aim to stay hot versus Blue Jays

Jul 23, 2011 - 2:38 PM (Sports Network) - Despite losing back-to-back meetings to the Angels to close out a lengthy road trip earlier this week, the Texas Rangers are still one of the hottest teams in baseball since the All-Star break and will try to continue their dominance tonight when they host the second of a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays in Arlington.

Over the last eight games the Rangers, who are 6-2 during that stretch, have outscored the competition by a combined 44-14 margin, thanks in large part to Nelson Cruz who finished with four hits and a total of eight runs batted in on Friday night in a 12-2 triumph over Toronto.

Cruz, who fell one RBI shy of matching the club record set by Ivan Rodriguez during a 15-6 blowout over Seattle on April 13, 1999, had a double and a home run for the hosts, while Michael Young continued to show his worth for the club by going 4-for-4 with four runs scored. Adrian Beltre added a pair of hits and two runs of his own, but had to leave the game in the fifth inning with a strained left hamstring. He is scheduled to have an MRI today to assess his condition.

Texas starter Colby Lewis took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, allowing just two hits while striking out five to win his fifth straight decision. He hasn't lost since June 11 at Minnesota.

Jo-Jo Reyes surrendered eight hits and eight runs over 4 1/3 innings as he suffered the loss for the Jays, while Shawn Camp gave up five hits and four runs in 1 2/3 frames.

Toronto managed a total of just three hits in the meeting, two of those coming from J.P. Arencibia who delivered a couple of solo home runs, giving him 14 on the campaign. Shortstop Yunel Escobar had reached base safely in a career-high 25 consecutive contests heading into the series opener, but his streak ended when he finished 0-for-4.

Matt Harrison has been tapped as the starter for the Rangers tonight, the lefty shooting for his third straight win.

Harrison, who won his first three outings of 2011, last pitched on Sunday when Texas notched a 3-1 win over the slumping Seattle Mariners. During that match Harrison permitted just a single run on five hits, walking one and striking out four over the course of 7 2/3 innings.

Despite having some control problems earlier in the campaign, Harrison has been far more accurate in the month of July with a total of 16 strikeouts and just a pair of walks in more than 21 innings of action. The North Carolina product has a mark of 0-1 with a lefty 13.50 ERA in two previous appearances against the Jays.

As for Toronto, the plan for the visitors is to go with Carlos Villanueva on the mound. The right-hander, who joined the Jays starting rotation in late May, suffered just his second loss of the campaign on Sunday when he allowed five runs on eight hits over the course of six innings in a 7-2 setback versus New York.

Now in his sixth year in the majors, Villanueva won his only previous decision against the Rangers and could climb to an even record for his career with a win this time around.

Texas, which is three games ahead of LA for first place in the American League West, is 14 games over .500 at home (32-18). The squad places second in the AL in home runs (123) and is also behind only Boston in batting average (.273) heading into the weekend as they try to even out the season series with Toronto which has won three of the first five games between the squads.