Corey Patterson’s ninth inning play helps Toronto Blue Jays beat Texas Rangers 5-2 – MLB Update
Toronto Blue Jays’ centre-fielder Corey Patterson made three runs on a decisive ninth inning as the Jays snapped a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Thursday, April 28.
Patterson expressed his excitement as, “It definitely worked out for us. I wanted to put the bunt in the right location. I would have been fine even if they would have thrown me out.”
The Jays’ pinch-hitter Yunel Escobar made one-out singles along with John McDonald who reached the third base in no time. Adam Lind added a solo homer for the Jays. It was considered his fourth home run of the season. Elvis Andrus stole second base with
a one-out walk and posted a run on Adrian Beltre’s single.
The Jays had a lead of 2-1 in the first inning when Jose Bautista walked along the loaded bases on the throwing error of Rangers’ closer Darren Oliver. Speaking to reporters, Oliver said, “He bunted it into no man's land. I was surprised I got to it.”
The Rangers’ second baseman Ian Kinsler made a single by stealing the base in the third inning and tied the game 2-2. Michael Young had a sacrifice fly but missed out without adding the runs. Kinsler also hit a lead-off double but was caught out by Jose
Molina in the fifth inning.
Both teams remained scoreless from the fourth to the eighth inning. Then Patterson hit a single RBI including three runs during the ninth inning to take the lead 5-2 for the Jays. He was acclaimed by his team-mates on his extraordinary performance.
The Jays’ Manager John Farrell had a huge ovation for his club, especially for Patterson. He said, “Safety squeeze. [Patterson] did an excellent job. It's one of the things we worked on extensively in spring training. In that situation, left on left, first
and third, good pitcher on the mound who's good on left-handers, Corey did an excellent job with the execution.”
The Jays starter Brandon Morrow was another key man in their team’s victory. He threw six innings and gave away two runs on six hits including two earned runs with six strike-outs. Frank Francisco pitched superbly against his former team as he struck out
three hitters in one inning pitched. Mitch Moreland was also struck out on Francisco’s pitch and went 1-for-4.
On the other side, Alexi Ogando was little bit expensive for his team as he permitted two runs on four hits including two earned runs and struck out seven batters in his six inning pitches. Cody Eppley performed well as a reliever by striking out one batter
but the Rangers were turned down when Oliver gave three runs on three hits in just one inning pitched.
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