Adam Lind hit two home runs to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-3 victory over the American League (AL) West-leading Texas Rangers on Monday. The Blue Jays jumped on top when Lind hit two-run shots in the second and fourth innings as Toronto handed the Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman his first loss of the year. Feldman allowed four runs in six innings to break a string of six wins for the Rangers from his last six starts.
Feldman had enjoyed a good run since moving from the bullpen to the starting rotation in late April, but served up two soft pitches to Lind, who has already equalled a career-high 11 home runs this year in his first season as a regular starter. "Those two pitches were the game right there," Feldman said of Lind's two homers. Lind, who played left field against the Rangers, has gone 18-for-40 for a .450 batting average in his last 10 games. "When he's locked in, he's as good as I've ever seen," his teammate Vernon Wells said.
Lind's offence provided ample support for the Rangers starter Casey Janssen, who was charged with three runs in five and one third innings before being relieved by Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, who handled the final one and one third innings. In the other AL games, Johnny Damon hit a tie-breaking home run in the sixth inning and Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Derek Jeter also homered as the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3.
Jose Contreras allowed just the one hit in eight innings as he made his return to the majors in the Chicago White Sox's 6-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. In the National League (NL), Sean West stole the show from Randy Johnson just four days after the Giants' pitcher earned career victory number 300 and the Florida Marlins beat San Francisco 4-0. Jason Marquis took the NL lead with his eighth win as the Colorado Rockies saw off the St Louis Cardinals 5-2. The Atlanta Braves beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6.
* Agencies
