Martin homers, Estrada solid as Blue Jays beat Rangers
ARLINGTON, Texas — Russell Martin homered and hit a pair of RBI singles to back six solid innings from Marco Estrada, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 8-5 on Friday night.
Martin’s drive to left field for an 8-0 lead in the sixth came right after Yangervis Solarte connected on a solo shot . It was the second homer of the season for both in a game delayed 36 minutes at the start by rain.
Estrada (1-0) took a two-hit shutout into the sixth before Shin-Soo Choo homered for the third straight game. After two singles and a walk with two outs, Estrada got Robinson Chirinos on a flyout on the right-hander’s 105th and final pitch.
Twice a dominant winner in Arlington when Toronto beat Texas in back-to-back AL Division Series in 2015-16, Estrada allowed five hits and a run with a walk and seven strikeouts.
Roberto Osuna allowed two singles but got Choo to ground into a double play in a scoreless ninth for his third save.
Matt Moore (0-2) had his second straight rough start for the Rangers after leading the NL with 15 losses last season in San Francisco. The left-hander allowed five hits, four walks and six runs — five earned — in 3 1/3 innings. Moore also hit Martin with a pitch.
Josh Donaldson drove in a run among two singles and scored twice, and Solarte walked his first three times up.
A day after becoming the Latin American leader in hits, Adrian Beltre had three more to break a tie with Rickey Henderson for 24th on the career list and is now at 3,058. He and Choo each doubled in a run in a four-run seventh. Elvis Andrus added an RBI single, his third hit.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: Manager John Gibbons said backup SS Aledmys Diaz was available after experiencing back spasms last week.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (0-0, 7.20 ERA) gave up seven runs in four innings in his first regular-season appearance at the home of the Rangers last season, an 11-4 loss. He also lost Game 2 of the AL Division Series in Arlington in 2015.
Rangers: LHP Mike Minor (0-1, 3.86) gave up three hits and two runs in 4 2/3 innings in his Texas debut and first major league start since 2014, an 8-2 loss to Houston. He was a starter in Atlanta before shoulder surgery sidelined him for two years. Minor returned as a reliever in Kansas City last season.
Shohei Ohtani homers in 3rd straight game for Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani has homered in his third straight game for the Los Angeles Angels, launching a drive an estimated at 449 feet.
The two-way newcomer from Japan connected Friday night for a solo home run in the second inning against Oakland’s Daniel Gossett. The ball landed in the rocks beyond the centre field wall and was measured with a 112.3 mph exit velocity according to Statcast, the hardest-hit and longest of Ohtani’s three major league homers.
The homer lifted Ohtani to 6-for-11 (.545) with six RBIs at home. The 23-year-old is scheduled to pitch against Oakland on Sunday in his first home start, making it uncertain if he will get a chance to extend his homer streak to four games today.