Setback in Toronto! Texas Rangers lose again to last Blue Jays

Kevin Gausman held the Texas Rangers to a complete game, holding them to three runs and four hits, and Rangers starter Michael Lorenzen couldn’t survive the first inning.

That was a recipe for disaster and the Rangers lost again, 7-3, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Gausman retired 18 Rangers in a row before Nathaniel Lowe took a two-out walk in the ninth inning. It was his second complete game of 2024. He struck out eight batters on 118 pitches.

Marcus Semien led off the game with a triple and scored on a wild pitch, giving the Rangers an early 1-1-0 lead. The Blue Jays finished Lorenzen off in the bottom of the inning, however, scoring four runs on two hits and five hits, including Daulton Varsho’s three-run homer.

The Rangers have lost two games in a row, while recording a season record of five wins.

The bottom four batters in the Rangers lineup were a combined 0 for 13 with four strikeouts and a walk in Saturday’s loss. Nathaniel Lowe had the lone walk with two outs in the ninth inning. Lowe, Jonah Heim, Leody Taveras and Andrew Knizner were all hitless, and No. 3 hitter Josh Smith also was 0 for 4.

The Rangers are 4-36 when allowing five or more runs in 2024. Texas is one of five teams with four or fewer wins when allowing five or more runs. The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals have three wins, and the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins also have four wins.

Jon Gray (5-4, 3.73) will face Blue Jays right-handed pitcher José Berríos (8-8, 4.08) in the final game of the series on Sunday at 12:37 p.m.