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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -
Rod Barajas
and B.J. Ryan had different reasons for their extra motivation Saturday.
Barajas keyed a big sixth inning with a two-run double and Ryan pitched a scoreless ninth one night after blowing a save,
leading the
Toronto Blue Jays
to a 6-4 victory over the
Texas Rangers
.
Ryan allowed three runs in the ninth as the Rangers rallied for a 9-8 win on Friday.
David Murphy
, whose two-run single beat Ryan and the
Blue Jays
in the series opener, led off the ninth inning Saturday with a single. But Ryan retired the next three hitters to earn his
21st save in 24 opportunities.
''That's a perfect scenario,'' Ryan said. ''You get back out there and jump right back in the middle of it and make better
pitches than you did the night before. It's a cliche and all that, but you just want to get back out there and finish off
the game.''
Barajas played with the Rangers from 2004-06 and his big hit gave the
Blue Jays
a 4-3 lead. This was after the Rangers intentionally walked
Matt Stairs
to face Barajas.
Scott Rolen
followed with a two-run double to cap the four-run inning.
''Anytime they walk the guy in front of you to face you, it's kind of a slap in the face,'' Barajas said. ''It shows they
made a mistake.''
A.J. Burnett (13-9) allowed four runs in 5 2-3 innings to win his third consecutive start. The right-hander, who established
a career high in victories, struck out four and walked two.
Scott Feldman
surrendered four runs and five hits over 5 1-3 innings in Texas' first game with a revamped coaching staff.
The Rangers replaced pitching coach Mark Connor with
Andy Hawkins
and bullpen coach Dom Chiti with
Jim Colborn
after Friday night's victory.
''It's a part of the game,'' Feldman said of the coaching changes. ''All you can do is pitch as well as you can, no matter
who the coach is.''
Marco Scutaro
led off the sixth with a single, but was thrown out by Texas right fielder
Josh Hamilton
when he tried to advance to third on
Alex Rios
' base hit. Feldman (4-4) exited after walking
Lyle Overbay
.
After a groundout advanced both runners,
Jamey Wright
intentionally walked Stairs to load the bases and Barajas lined a pitch down the third-base line.
''
Scott Feldman
pitched his tail off,'' Wright said. ''It's just frustrating to see him pitching that well and have me come in here and lose
the game.''
The Rangers answered with a run in the sixth on
Gerald Laird
's RBI single, chasing Burnett.
Scott Downs
, who pitched 2 1-3 hitless innings of relief, retired
Chris Davis
on a grounder with runners on first and second to end the threat.
Burnett improved to 7-2 since June 24, getting some help from his defense.
Michael Young
led off the sixth with a drive to right but
Brad Wilkerson
ran toward the corner and made a leaping catch at the top of the wall.
Young watched a replay and said he thought Wilkerson trapped the ball after it hit the wall first. But the Rangers shortstop
also acknowledged it was a tough call to make.
''I felt kind of lucky to make that catch,'' Wilkerson said. ''I timed it right, and it went right into my glove. I didn't
know I caught it. I just closed my eyes, looked in my glove and was excited I caught it.''
Frank Catalanotto
's two-out, two-run double in the fifth gave Texas a 3-2 lead.
The
Blue Jays
took a 2-1 lead in the third when
Joe Inglett
singled, stole second and scored on Rios' single.
Notes: Rangers DH
Milton Bradley
was not available for a fourth consecutive game due to a strained left quadriceps. ... RHP
Roy Halladay
got an extra day off this week because of an off-day, meaning the Toronto ace will pitch on six days' rest Monday night against
Oakland. ''This guy leads the league in complete games, so it won't hurt him at all,'' manager
Cito Gaston
said. ... The game-time temperature was 102 degrees.
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