September 10, 2022 - Game 138
W - Kevin Gausman (12-9)
L - Kohei Arihara (1-3)
S- Tim Mayza (1)
HR: TEX: García (23), Huff (2); TOR: Tapia (6), Jansen (12)
Time of Game: 3:37
Game Recap
After the excitement, despite the loss, on Friday, the Rangers and Blue Jays played game two of the three-game set Saturday. On the pitching side, Texas handed the ball to Kohei Arihara. With Jon Gray likely to come back in the following week, Saturday could be the last impression for Ariahra before going back to the bullpen or optioned. Tony Beasley talked about how the Blue Jays' offense is a good matchup for Kohei. "If Arihara comes out and attacks the zone and executes pitches early, we have a chance to get some quick outs. It's a right-handed heavy lineup. He's right-handed, and with his off-speed pitches and his ability to throw the sinker, he should have success against this team." Unfortunately, the success wasn't there as Arihara struggled all night long. The offense had a tall task against Kevin Gausman coming off back-to-back two earned run starts against the Orioles and Cubs.
Three of the first four Blue Jays Saturday doubled to begin the game. George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Alejandro Kirk had two baggers that scored two runs. Santiago Espinal singled home two with the bases loaded to cap off a four-run opening frame for Toronto. The Rangers did answer in the bottom of the first as Adolis García hit a rocket shot to left field, scoring Marcus Semien and Corey Seager and cutting the Jays' lead to 4-3. The Blue Jays put their offense to work in the third. Espinal doubled home, Cavan Biggio, on a ball that hit off Josh Jung's glove. Tamiel Tapia hit a shot to deep right to score Danny Jansen and Espinal. The five-run inning capped with a BIchette double to score Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Toronto added two more in the fourth as Jansen homered to left-center field, scoring Biggio, and ended the night for Kohei Ariahra. The Rangers had a chance in the fifth with two, but García struck out to end any scoring opportunity. In the sixth, Josh Jung doubled and scored on Sam Huff's two-run home run to cut the Toronto lead to 11-5. "It felt good," Sam Huff said on the home run. "Trying to put a good swing on it. He's a good pitcher, that's a good team. It sucked that it wasn't in the position to take the lead." Then, Josh Smith singled, Bubba Thompson doubled (moved to third on the throw), and Marcus Semien singled to score two more runs and cut the Blue Jays' lead to 11-7. Toronto had the bases loaded with two outs in the eighth inning, but George Springer grounded to Seager to keep the game within reach for the Rangers. Texas couldn't do much in the final two innings, thus falling 11-7. The Rangers have lost eleven of their last twelve.
In the three-plus inning for Kohei Ariahra, he allowed two or more baserunners in each inning. Arihara allowed twelve hits, eleven runs, five walks, and one strikeout. The Blue Jays had fourteen at-bats with runners in scoring position against Airhara (7 for 14). "We had to try to get as mich as we can innings-wise," Tony Beasley said in extending Arihara on Saturday. "It was tough [and] he didn't have it tonight. He pitched in hitter-friendly counts for the most part of the night."
The Rangers couldn't ask for more out of John King Saturday. He came in to relieve Arihara in the fourth and pitched three scoreless frames. King retired nine of the ten batters faced on thirty-seven pitches. Next, the Rangers called upon Dennis Santana for the seventh. He walked the leadoff hitter, induced a double play, and allowed a double. However, Santana got Kirk to line out to Josh Smith to finish a scoreless inning. Jonathan Hernández ran into trouble in the eighth with a single and two walks, but he picked up two strikeouts and a groundout to close out the inning unscored upon. Brett Martin struck out two of the three batters faced Saturday capping off six scoreless by the Rangers bullpen. "The bullpen did a really good job coming in and putting up zeroes and giving us a chance to get back into the ballgame," Beasley said.
Postgame Notes
Adolis García's home run was the second hardest hit ball (in terms of exit velocity) by a Rangers hitter this season (112.9 MPH). The hardest came by Nathaniel Lowe on April 10th at Toronto (113 MPH).
The eleven earned runs by Kohei Ariahra is the most earned runs allowed by a Rangers starter this season. The twelve hits tie a Rangers season record. The other time was on June 11th at the White Sox by Martín Pérez.
John King threw three innings on Saturday. It's his second three-inning outing in his last three. He had three appearances of three or more innings in 2021 during the span where the Rangers viewed him as a future starter.
Sam Huff went forty-two at-bats without an extra-base hit. His last MLB extra-base hit came on June 1st vs. the Rays.
Josh Smith snapped a 0 for 14 with a single in the sixth (MLB at-bats).
All three of Josh Jung's hits have come when he's been behind in the count. His home run Friday was on a 1-2 count, his single Friday on a 0-1, and his double on Saturday was on an 0-2 count.
Marcus Semien has hit safely in seventeen of his last nineteen games. He has at least one RBI in seven of those nineteen games.
Saturday was the first in fourteen road starts that Kevin Gausman allowed five or more earned runs. The Previous three occurrences when Gausman allowed five earned runs came at Rogers Centre.
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