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ARLINGTON, Tex. — It was by no means dominant, but the Jays’ continued their winning September ways in Texas.
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It took another quality start from Ross Stripling and the sixth home run of a now eight-game-old road trip for a still-hot Bo Bichette, and even then, it required a clutch ninth-inning single from catcher Danny Jansen to plate Raimel Tapia with the winning run as the Jays squeaked out a 4-3 win.
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Jansen’s ninth-inning heroics followed three unanswered runs by the Rangers to tie the game, the final one coming in the bottom of the eighth as Yimi Garcia gave up a leadoff double to No. 9 hitter Bubba Thompson. The speedster would score from third on Corey Seager’s double off Tim Mayza.
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Tapia responded with a leadoff walk in the ninth, stole second and then took third on Espinal’s deep fly ball before Jansen cashed him in with that much-needed single.
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Toronto has now won seven of eight on the road trip and nine of its past 11 to stay within a game and a half of Tampa and potentially pass Seattle who were trailing at home to Atlanta and only a half game up on the Jays at the beginning of the night. That would bump the Jays into the second wild card spot.
The game was not one that instilled a lot of confidence in the Blue Jays who had multiple opportunities to break this one open but continually turned down the opportunities.
Toronto had an early 3-0 lead thanks to some shaky defence in the first that gifted the Jays a run and then Bichette’s two-run homer in the third, his 23rd of the year to score Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ahead of him who was on with a two-out double.
Over the next five innings the Jays had either the leadoff man on or a runner in scoring position with less than two out four times and came up empty each time.
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Matt Chapman led off the fourth with a single only to be erased at second when Tapia failed to carry out his end of the run-and-hit.
In the sixth the Jays had the bases loaded with two out but couldn’t cash in a run as Espinal popped out to third.
In the seventh, Jansen laced a single to deep centre and then failed to advance when Jackie Bradley Jr. couldn’t get the sacrifice bunt down, eventually striking out ahead of George Springer’s one-hopper back to the pitcher for an inning-ending double-play.
Bichette’s one-out triple in the eighth was wasted when both Alejandro Kirk and Matt Chapman struck out.
Jordan Romano gave up a one out-single to Leody Taveras in the ninth but after a steal of second, he stranded him there getting rookie Josh Jung on strikes and pinch-hitter Adolis Garcia to fly out to right to end the game.
The Jays and Rangers will go at it again this evening in a 7:05 start with Kevin Gausman opposing Kohei Arihara.
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