Music: {allcanada} Jays hope to win series

Thursday, April 28, 2011

{allcanada} Jays hope to win series

Alexi Ogando looks to continue his surprising start when the Rangers conclude their four-game home set against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Brandon Morrow came off the disabled list from a forearm issue to allow three runs, three hits and strike out 10 in 5 1-3 innings of a 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay in his 2011 debut Saturday.

"He was outstanding," manager John Farrell told the Blue Jays' official website. "You continue to increase that over six, seven, eight innings, that's the guy that was very effective for the vast majority of last year. It was very good to see him walk to the mound and have that kind of stuff."

Morrow is 2-1 with a 5.06 ERA as a starter versus Texas. The wins have come in his last two starts against the Rangers.

Juan Rivera homered and drove in three runs while Jose Bautista added two RBIs Wednesday, but Toronto lost for the seventh time in 11 games. The Blue Jays (11-13) have scored 22 runs in the first three games of the series.

Batting .356 this season, Bautista has totaled seven of his 13 RBIs in his last eight games. He's hitting .342 with 12 RBIs in his last 11 matchups with Texas.

Ogando has thrived in the first month of the season as the Texas Rangers' fifth starter.

Ogando bounced back after he gave up five runs in a loss to the Yankees on April 17, by allowing a solo homer in six innings of a 3-1 win over Kansas City on Saturday. That's the only run Ogando has yielded over 12 innings in two home starts this season.

"It just goes to show you he has pitch-ability," manager Ron Washington told the Rangers' official website about Ogando, who went 4-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 44 relief appearances for the defending AL champions in 2010. "His command wasn't very good, where it normally is. But he found a way to get through it."

Because of Ogando's early success, Washington will keep him in the rotation despite the team's issues in the bullpen. Ogando was needed to open the season in the rotation due to injuries to Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter and Brandon Webb. None of those three are likely to return anytime soon.

"When they're ready, we'll make a decision, but I'm not taking (Ogando) out of the rotation. ... I'm not taking him out of the rotation if he continues to pitch like this," Washington said. "I'm not sure what will happen, but we have to quit talking about Ogando."

Facing the Blue Jays for the first time, Ogando will try to help the Rangers (15-9) split the series after they avoided a third straight defeat with a 7-6 win Wednesday.

Michael Young drove in two runs and Mitch Moreland led off the seventh inning with a tie-breaking homer as the Rangers matched their run total from the previous two games.

Young, who had his 15-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday, is batting .393 with 13 RBIs in his last 15 contests.