Rangers 4, Blue Jays 1
Rangers 4, Blue Jays 1: Yu Darvish struck out nine in seven strong innings and Mitch Moreland and Craig Gentry each homered as visiting Texas took the series opener.
Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus each added an RBI double for the Rangers, who were without Josh Hamilton due to a sore back. Hamilton leads the American League with nine home runs and 25 RBIs.
Darvish (4-0) allowed one run on four hits while walking two. The Japanese sensation has not allowed more than one earned run in any of his last four starts.
Joe Nathan worked a spotless ninth for his sixth save.
Kyle Drabek (2-2) nearly matched his heavily-hyped counterpart, surrendering two runs on five hits in six innings while striking out eight. The 24-year old right-hander ran into trouble in the second inning, yielding a leadoff double to Adrian Beltre before Cruz delivered his one-out RBI hit.
Andrus made Drabek pay for walking Ian Kinsler in the next frame.
Moreland and Gentry - the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters - provided some insurance with back-to-back solo shots off left-hander Evan Crawford in the seventh.
Toronto’s lone run came in the fourth, when Edwin Encarnacion got a hanging slider from Darvish on a 1-1 count and sent it over the wall in left. It was the first homer allowed by Darvish and the fourth blast in as many games for Encarnacion.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Encarnacion has eight home runs, tied with New York’s Curtis Granderson for second behind Hamilton. … Hamilton is day-to-day and would have been available as a pinch hitter if necessary. … Texas started Beltre at designated hitter and shifted usual DH Michael Young to third base on Monday.