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ARLINGTON, Texas – Yu Darvish faces Kyle Drabek in a matchup of a couple of talented young righties.

Darvish (6-2, 3.05): The rookie is coming off his worst start for the Rangers, having allowed five runs on four hits and six walks in four innings to take the loss against the Mariners. He still ranks among American League winners in wins (6, tied first) and strikeouts (63, tied fifth). He also ranks fifth in walks with 32. … The 25-year-old Japanese phenom is 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, but this will be his first day start in the Texas heat. … Darvish beat the Blue Jays on April 30 in Toronto with a dominant performance. He struck out nine in seven innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks. He threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of 27 batters that he faced.

Drabek (4-4, 3.27): The 24-year-old Drabek, the son of former major league pitcher Doug Drabek, is a former first-round pick who was acquired in the Roy Halladay deal. … Drabek’s biggest problem is command. He is tied for third in the AL with 34 walks allowed in his 52 1/3 innings. He has walked at least four in five in his last seven starts. … Drabek has been especially hard to hit in his last two starts. He gave up only six hits in 13 innings in wins over the Rays and Yankees. … Drabek is 1-3 with a 4.73 ERA on the road. … He has been at his best with runners in scoring position, holding opponents to a .149 average in those situations. … Drabek was the losing pitcher in Darvish’s win over the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks in six innings.

Hitters: The current Rangers are 9-for-42 against Drabek with a home run by Yorvit Torrealba. He has been especially tough on Texas’ lefties. David Murphy is 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and Mitch Moreland 0-for-4 with a strikeout against Drabek. Elvis Andrus is 3-for-6 with a double against him. … Edwin Encarnacion is 2-for-2 with a homer against Darvish. The rest of the Blue Jays are 2-for-22 against him. Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson are both 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

Up next:
Mon. vs. Sea.: LHP Matt Harrison (5-3, 4.72) vs. RHP Kevin Millwood (3-4, 3.72), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW
Tues. vs. Sea.: RHP Scott Feldman (0-2, 4.66) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (5-4, 3.39), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW
Wed. vs. Sea.: LHP Derek Holland (4-3, 4.05) vs. RHP Blake Beavan (2-4, 4.38), 7:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW

Some facts and figures gathered by ESPN Stats and Information:

Josh Hamilton hit his third career walk-off home run Saturday. All three have come with his team trailing. The other two were July 9, 2008, vs. Francisco Rodriguez and July 9, 2011, vs. Andrew Bailey.

Since Josh Hamilton joined the Rangers in 2008, no player in MLB has as many walk-off home runs with his team trailing. Saturday marked his third such bleacher reacher. Only four other players have done it twice.

Most Walk-Off HR When Trailing
Since 2008
Josh Hamilton 3
Nick Swisher 2
Travis Hafner 2
Ryan Zimmerman 2
Andre Ethier 2
>>Hamilton joined Rangers in 2008

Josh Hamilton is the second-quickest player in Rangers franchise history to 20 HR. He got to 20 in the Rangers 47th team game. The franchise record is 46 games, by Frank Howard for the 1968 Senators.

Most HR Through 47 Games
Rangers History

2012 Josh Hamilton 20
1968 Frank Howard 20
2001 Alex Rodriguez 17
2000 Ivan Rodriguez 16
1970 Frank Howard 16

The Rangers hit three solo HRs in the sixth inning vs. Blue Jays on Saturday. Not only did Nelson Cruz, Yorvit Torrealba and Mitch Moreland all hit solo HRs in the same inning, their HRs also went to the same field location (left-center field).

FROM ELIAS: The last time three or more teammates hit solo home runs in the same inning to the same field location was when the Diamondbacks did it in the fourth inning on August 11, 2010, vs. the Brewers (Adam LaRoche, Miguel Montero, and Stephen Drew all hit solo home runs to right field in the fourth inning)

Most Games with At Least 4 HR
This Season

Rangers 4<<
Blue Jays 4
Red Sox 4
Cardinals 3
Orioles 3
>> Includes Saturday vs. Blue Jays

ARLINGTON, Texas -- With all due respect to Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz, the hottest hitter in the Texas Rangers' lineup isn't a household name.

It's a dude who bats at the bottom of the order and doesn't face lefties, as long as his manager can help it, at least.

Yep, we're talking about Mitch Moreland, the man who has batted .392 with seven homers in 74 at-bats over the last month.

"He's locked in," said manager Ron Washington, who praised Moreland for improving his pitch selection since his slow start.

Of course, Moreland has done virtually all his damage against right-handers. And that success hasn't given his skipper any confidence that Moreland can hit lefties.

That was made crystal clear once again in the 10th inning Saturday afternoon, when Washington responded to lefty Darren Oliver coming out of the Blue Jays' bullpen by pinch-hitting for Moreland with slumping, sick Mike Napoli.

"Righty against a lefty," Washington said, explaining his reasoning as plain and simple as possible. "One swing of the bat and Nap can make a difference. I know Nap is struggling, but still, one swing of the bat and he can make a difference. I just took a chance to do it with a veteran and there he is."

To say is struggling is like saying it gets warm around these parts in the summer. Napoli, who struck out against Oliver in the 10th and flew out against him in the 12th, is in a 3-for-25 slump with 16 strikeouts during that skid.

Napoli has a proven track record as a terror against lefties, hitting .316 with 25 homers in 348 at-bats against them in the previous three seasons. This season? Not so much: He's 9-for-51 (.176) against southpaws.

Sure, that's better than Moreland, who is hitting .167 against lefties this season. But that's from a puny sample size of 18 at-bats.

Sure, Moreland has struggled against lefties throughout his young career (.221 in 149 at-bats). But the 26-year-old is in his best groove since at least the 2010 postseason, when his three-run homer off a lefty was the key play in the Rangers' only World Series win over the Giants.

So, not to sound like the president of the Mitch Moreland fan club, but what's the guy got to go to get some legitimate chances against lefties?

"You certainly do sound like his fan club president," Washington said.

Translation: Moreland is pretty much a platoon player for the foreseeable future.

That was obvious when Washington brought Brandon Snyder off the bench as a pinch-hitter against a Royals lefty reliever last week after Moreland homered in his previous two at-bats. The point was hammered home Saturday afternoon when Moreland was pulled after going 3-for-4 with his fifth homer in 12 games, bumping his average to .309.

"That was the manager's move," Moreland said. "He felt comfortable with that, so you've got to respect him. He's the boss. He's the captain of this ship, you know what I'm saying?"

Moreland would love a legitimate chance to prove he can hit lefties, but he's not about to rock the boat in the Rangers' harmonious clubhouse. He'll just try to keep raking against righties and be ready if Washington's gut ever gives him another shot against a southpaw.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Elvis Andrus took advantage of his opportunity to swing away in a clutch at-bat.

Josh Hamilton's walk-off homer will dominate the highlights and discussion of the Rangers' 13th-inning rally, but Andrus' RBI double to the left-center gap put Hamilton in position to beat the Blue Jays.

"The more that I play, the more I feel able to do like I did in that last inning, to hit that ball in the gap," said Andrus, who is hitting a career-high .302 and is on pace to roar past his previous best RBI total with 22 in the season's first 47 games.

Andrus didn't get a chance to drive the ball in his previous two at-bats. He followed orders to lay down sacrifice bunts after Ian Kinsler reached base to lead off the ninth and 11th innings.

"That was a lot, a lot, a lot of bunting," said Andrus, who also bunted in the first inning. "I kind of wonder if that was a record for sacrifices. But, you know, that's my job. Whenever they ask me for it, I'll be there to help my team."

Andrus' success swinging the bat isn't the only reason that asking him to bunt so often is an interesting strategy by manager Ron Washington. The Rangers are essentially extending an invitation for opponents to intentionally walk Josh Hamilton, the clear MVP frontrunner at this point of the season, by moving the runner to second base and leaving first open.

Toronto accepted that invitation in the ninth inning, walking Hamilton and getting out of the inning unscathed after an Adrian Beltre flyout and Michael Young groundout. The Blue Jays opted to let lefty Darren Oliver pitch to Hamilton in the 11th and lived to tell about it, as he grounded out to first base after Kinsler advanced to third on a wild pitch, failing to drive in what would have been the game-winning run with one out.

The Blue Jays pitched to Hamilton again after Andrus' double in the 13th, but the circumstances were much different in that situation. He represented the winning run with no outs .. and ended up scoring it with a walk-off homer.

Washington is well aware that opponents will often opt to walk Hamilton if Andrus lays down a sacrifice bunt. Washington just doesn't care, expressing confidence that Beltre and Young can make teams pay for pitching to them.

"I'm not worried about them putting Hamilton on the bag," Washington said. "I've got Beltre and Michael Young coming. They're quality hitters. They drive in runs and drive in big runs, so if they want to walk Hamilton, go ahead.

"If you look at the at-bats Hamilton had earlier in the game, they certainly weren't productive, so I wasn't worried about them walking Hamilton. I did what I had to do to get other guys up there and get a run closer to home plate."

But Andrus swinging away worked much better than bunting.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Josh Hamilton spent most of Saturday afternoon seeing stars, struggling to deal with an upper respiratory and sinus infection while playing in 90-plus-degree heat.

Hamilton still put on a fireworks show for the folks from the sellout crowd at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington who stuck around for all four hours, 38 minutes of Texas' first walk-off win of the season.

Add the 13th-inning homer to Hamilton's long list of Roy Hobbs-like moments. His two-run shot onto Greene's Hill behind the center-field fence capped a come-from-behind 8-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, triggering the fireworks above the stadium and providing another magical moment to the storybook superstar's potential Triple Crown campaign.

"That's the best talent in baseball right now," said Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus, who was on second base when Hamilton got the sweet spot on a 1-2 splitter from Blue Jays reliever Jason Frasor. "I don't think he has to be 100 percent to hit a homer."

Hamilton left no doubt about that Saturday, when he needed an IV and oxygen in addition to his routine postgame treatment.

For most of the game, Hamilton looked like a dazed-and-confused shadow of himself. He struggled in center field, initially turning the wrong way on one double and failing to make a play that he often would on another. He went 1-for-5 with an RBI on a weak groundout before his homer, blowing a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the 11th by grounding out to first base with one out and a runner on third base.

"I hit a wall in the fifth inning, man," Hamilton said. "And when I hit it, every time I exerted myself, got lightheaded, seeing those little stars and just couldn't figure it out."

Hamilton figured it out in time to smash the third walk-off homer of his career. It was Hamilton's 20th homer in the 29-18 Rangers' 47th game, making him the fastest big leaguer to 20 homers since Albert Pujols in 2006 and the fastest American Leaguer since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997.

But Hamilton's most vivid memory from the Rangers' wild win wasn't his homer or being mobbed by teammates at home plate or anything else that happened on the field. It was a moment when he was sitting in the dugout during the extra innings, head down near his chest.

Hamilton looked down while trying to catch his breath and saw several scraps of paper on the ground. He recognized that it was a lesson from the Bible's Book of Isaiah that was handed to Hamilton the previous night by Shayne Kelley, the staff assistant the Rangers hired this offseason to support the recovering drug and alcohol addict. The gist was about young men roaming weary and being given strength by the Lord.

"I could just read bits and pieces of it," Hamilton said. "It just reminded me that, you know what, I don't have any strength today. I'm completely out of it, but He's gotten me through a lot worse. He helped me here."

Sick or not, Hamilton's heroics can't be considered a surprise. This is a former MVP with freakish talent who ranks second in the AL with a .376 batting average and leads the league in homers and RBIs (53).

Amazing is almost routine for Hamilton. He's had a four-homer game, a nine-homer week, 12 game-winning RBIs and put together a highlight reel of ridiculous catches so far this season.

"He really makes the game look that easy sometimes," Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland said. "I mean, he's definitely going to have his ups and downs, but for the most part, what he's done this year has been unbelievable. It's been a lot of fun to watch."

The fireworks were worth sticking around in the heat for almost five hours Saturday afternoon. Hamilton's legend grew by about 424 feet.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers have their first walk-off win of the season.

Finally.

It took 13 innings in the 47th game of the season, and the Rangers blew a bunch of golden opportunities to win the game before rallying from a two-run deficit. And they did it in dramatic fashion, with Josh Hamilton hitting a walk-off two-run home run onto Greene’s Hill behind the center-field fence.

The Rangers were 1-of-15 with runners in scoring position and had left 13 men on base before Hamilton’s 20th homer of the season. They had failed to score in the previous four innings despite their leadoff hitter reaching base.

But that, like the sloppy defense that led to two Toronto runs in the top of the 13th inning, is all easy to forget after the Rangers’ Roy Hobbs delivered.

What it means: The Rangers started their homestand with two straight wins over the Blue Jays. It’s their first two-game winning streak since May 10 and 11.


Moreland left out again: Just add this to the mountain of evidence that manager Ron Washington has no confidence that Mitch Moreland will ever be able to hit lefties.

Moreland, who was hitting .139 after April 24, bumped his average above .300 for the first time this season with a 3-for-4 day. Moreland is hitting .309 after hitting two singles and a homer. He is 14-of-32 with five homers and 12 RBIs in the last 12 games. But Moreland got summoned to the bench with a lefty coming in from the bullpen and the game on the line.

Washington opted to for the ill, ice-cold Mike Napoli to pinch hit for Moreland with a runner on third and two outs in the 10th inning. Napoli whiffed against former Rangers reliever Darren Oliver in that at-bat and flew out with two runners on to end the 12th, which can’t be considered a surprise. Napoli is usually a southpaw slayer, but he is in a 3-for-25 slump with 15 strikeouts during that stretch.

Moreland has struggled against lefties throughout his career. He is 3-for-18 against them this season, and Washington clearly won’t give Moreland many chances no matter how much he mashes against righties.

Back-to-back-to-back and goodbye: Baseballs kept raining into the Toronto bullpen in the bottom of the sixth inning. Nelson Cruz, Yorvit Torrealba and Moreland hit back-to-back-to-back homers to temporarily give Texas the lead.

It was the seventh time in franchise history that the Rangers have hit back-to-back-to-back jacks, something Texas did twice last season.

It was the second straight game that Cruz and Torrealba homered. Moreland has five homers in his last 12 games.

The estimated distances on the homers: 426 feet for Cruz, 412 feet for Torrealba and 408 feet for Moreland.

The Blue Jays’ bullpen got stirring -- and not just to catch fly balls –- after the homer barrage. But Toronto starter Henderson Alvarez left before a reliever was ready, getting ejected after throwing inside to Ian Kinsler in the at-bat immediately after Moreland’s homer. It was a curiously quick hook by home plate umpire Marty Foster, considering that it was a 1-2 pitch and near Kinsler’s knees.

Lewis’ line: Colby Lewis followed up his most impressive start of the season with a mediocre outing.

Lewis looked like he’d be following up his eight-inning, one-run performance in Houston with another outstanding outing after cruising through four scoreless innings, but his final line wasn’t pretty. He allowed four earned runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Colby Rasmus’ towering blast in the fifth was the 14th home run allowed by Lewis this season, a total that leads the majors. The two-run shot hit high off the foul pole down the right-field line.

The Blue Jays added two runs before chasing Lewis in the sixth, benefitting from Elvis Andrus’ overly aggressive decision to try to throw out the lead runner at third base on a grounder to shortstop. David Cooper followed with a hit-and-run RBI single, and Omar Vizquel's bunt single scored another run.

Ogando's woes: By Alexi Ogando's standards, he has hit a serious rough patch. The Rangers’ reliever allowed a run for the third time in four appearances after a streak of 13 consecutive scoreless appearances. Ogando’s ERA has risen from 0.45 to 1.35 since his scoreless streak was snapped.

Striking first: The Rangers manufactured a couple of runs in the first inning with a leadoff double by Kinsler and a little luck. Kinsler advanced to third on a bad bunt by Elvis Andrus because pitcher Henderson Alvarez double-clutched before making his throw. Kinsler scored on a soft groundout by Josh Hamilton. Andrus advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Beltre.

Tidbits: Toronto infielder Omar Vizquel, who spent the 2009 season in Texas, passed Rangers legend Ivan Rodriguez for 44th place all-time in hits. He has 2,846 in his career after going 3-for-6 Saturday. The 45-year-old Vizquel, who entered the game with only two hits this season, had a single up the middle in the third inning, an RBI bunt single in the sixth and a go-ahead single up the middle in the 13th. ... The attendance was announced at 47,430. It was the 15th sellout of the season, matching the second-highest total in club history. ... Rangers reliever Mike Adams has retired nine in a row over three outings since getting three days of rest. ... Texas closer Joe Nathan has retired 16 consecutive batters over six appearances.

Up next: Texas RHP Yu Darvish faces Toronto RHP Kyle Drabek at 2:05 p.m. Sunday.

Mike Napoli needed more than a day to get over his stomach bug. He's out of the lineup for the second straight day.

A look at the Rangers' lineup that will face Toronto's Henderson Alvarez this afternoon:

2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
DH Michael Young
LF David Murphy
RF Nelson Cruz
C Yorvit Torrealba
1B Mitch Moreland

RHP Colby Lewis is on the mound.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Rangers veteran Colby Lewis faces Blue Jays kid Henderson Alvarez. A look at the matchup:

Lewis (4-3, 3.30): Lewis snapped a three-game losing streak with an outstanding outing in his last start. He threw a season-high eight innings in the win over the Astros, allowing one run on four hits and a walk. … Lewis had allowed at least six runs in each of his previous three starts after allowing a total of seven runs in his five April starts. … Lewis has given up 13 homers, the most in the majors. That includes at least one long ball allowed in each start. … He gave up one run on two hits in 6 2/3 innings in his last start against the Blue Jays.

Alvarez (3-4, 3.30): The 22-year-old Alvarez has seven quality starts in nine outings, but he’s coming off his worst performance of the season. He gave up six earned runs on nine hits and two walks in a loss to the Mets. … He is 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA in three starts on the road. That includes a six-hit shutout of the Angels. … Alvarez isn’t a power pitcher. He has only 18 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Hitters: Current Blue Jays are hitting .247 (18-for-73) with 16 strikeouts against Lewis. Jose Bautista is 3-for-8 with two homers against Lewis. J.P. Arencibia is 1-for-2 with a homer. Rajai Davis is 6-for-16 with a double and two RBIs. Yunel Escobar is 1-for-9. … Alvarez has never faced the Rangers.

Up Next:
Sun. vs. Tor.: RHP Yu Darvish (6-2, 3.05) vs. RHP Kyle Drabek (4-4, 3.27), 2:05 p.m., ESPN Dallas 103.3/1540/FSSW

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas Rangers' clubhouse erupted in a roar after Derek Holland's entrance.

And that was before what was arguably his best start of the season Friday night.

Holland’s teammates were ecstatic to see that he got rid of the shaggy mop of curly locks that had gotten so much attention. He missed a few spots with his do-it-yourself buzz cut, which was cleaned up by reliever Mike Adams, but the fact that Holland took a pair of clippers to his head sent a message to his teammates that he was ready to focus on the business of baseball.

“He shaved that ridiculous haircut and went back to work,” clubhouse leader Michael Young said.

Holland, whose horrible mustache remains intact, admits that the haircut was a case of him caving to peer pressure. He was also looking for anything that might help after allowing five runs in five innings in a loss to the Astros in his last start, which dropped him to 3-3 this season.

“I tried to do something different for the team,” Holland said. “The hair wasn’t getting many wins, so let’s try something different.”

The buzz cut is 1-0, winning in impressive fashion.

Holland pitched like the guy who won 10 of his last 11 decisions last season, the dude who dominated when he got the ball in Game 4 of the World Series. He gave the Rangers 7 1/3 strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while recording a season-high nine strikeouts.

Holland had great stuff. His fastball touched 96 mph and his slider was the best it’s been this season.

However, Holland’s command was the biggest difference between this outing and some of his substandard performances this season.

The Rangers gave Holland a six-run cushion in the first inning -- after he struck out the side on 13 pitches -- and he responded by going right at the Blue Jays. That’s a sign of progress for a young pitcher who has been guilty of getting too cute when gifted a lead in the past.

“He stayed in control, didn’t try to get out of the innings too fast,” manager Ron Washington said. “He let the innings happen. Usually when Holland gets a big lead, he’s going to try to get three outs in one batter, but tonight he took it a batter at a time and executed his pitches extremely well.”

Added Holland: “You don’t want to try to nibble or anything like that. Obviously, that’s when things have hurt me before, when I try to do too much once they’ve scored runs for me. My job when I go out there after they score some runs is to shut them down and let them go out there and keep doing their thing.”

This is the kind of performance the Rangers want from Holland on a consistent basis.

It’s fair to hold Holland to that standard because the lefty has proven that he has that type of talent. He’s been dominant too many times to accept average or worse.

As Washington said, “He was the Derek Holland we’ve seen before.”

Just with a better haircut. Or more business-like, at least.

ARLINGTON, Texas – It’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of night for most ballplayers, if they’re lucky.

Nelson Cruz has done it twice now, a testament to his tremendous talent. That doesn’t make the second eight-RBI game in Cruz’s career -- and sixth in Rangers history -- any less special.

“You dream about those kind of days,” Cruz said after going 4-for-5 with a three-run double, an upper-deck, opposite-field grand slam and eight RBIs in Friday’s 14-3 rout of the Blue Jays.

Folks around these parts can also dream about the potent potential of this lineup if Cruz can go on a tear.

Just look at last season’s American League Championship Series, when Cruz had six homers and 13 RBIs in six games, for evidence of what the man known as Boomstick can do when he gets hot.

“Nellie is one of those guys that you can kind of smell it in the air when he’s getting going,” Michael Young said. “Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come.”

There have been recent signs that Cruz was getting in a groove after a slow start. He was 21-of-62 (.339) with two homers and 11 RBIs in the previous 16 games, although he cooled off on the Rangers’ last road trip, going 5-of-22 with no extra-base hits. He came back after the Rangers’ first day off in almost three weeks refreshed and ready to rake.

Cruz came up with the bases loaded in the first inning and lined a Brandon Morrow pitch into the right-center gap for a three-run double. The direction of the hit was as important as the result.

“That’s when he’s at his best,” manager Ron Washington said, referring to Cruz driving balls to the opposite field.

Cruz’s best came with the bases loaded again in the seventh inning. You won’t see many opposite-field blasts more impressive than the grand slam he drove an estimated 405 feet into the upper deck of the home run porch.

That turned a great night into one of the best in franchise history. Cruz, whose previous eight-RBI performance came against the Blue Jays last season, is suddenly tied for sixth in the American League with 31 RBIs.

“You work almost a whole month to put up those type of RBIs,” Washington said. “He did it in one night. That’s definitely what he’s capable of doing. I hope it’s something that he can continue. Maybe not drive in eight runs, but just continue to have good at-bats and good things will happen.”

When Cruz has good at-bats, great things tend to happen.

ARLINGTON, Texas – This one was a rout from the first inning. The Texas Rangers looked like a well-rounded contender again in the blowout of the Toronto Blue Jays, not the struggling Texas team seen over the last week and a half.

What it means: Can this be considered evidence that the Rangers’ funk is over? Texas had lost six of nine before Thursday’s day off. They responded with one of their most dominant performances of the season.

Phenomenal first: After Derek Holland struck out the side on 13 pitches in the top of the first, the Rangers bats that had slumbered in Seattle rocked Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow. Texas scored six runs in the first inning -- one shy of their total from the three-game series in Seattle -- and batted around before chasing Morrow from the game with two outs.

It was the shortest start of his career for Morrow, whose ERA shot up from 2.63 to 3.47 after giving up six earned runs on five hits and three walks while recording only two outs.

Leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler set the tone and started the trouble by working a 13-pitch walk. The major damage was done by the bats of Adrian Beltre (two-run single), Nelson Cruz (three-run double) and Mitch Moreland (RBI single).

Big night for Boomstick: The hits and RBIs tend to come in bunches for Cruz.

Cruz went 4-for-5 with a grand slam and eight RBIs against the Blue Jays. It was the second eight-RBI game of his career, making him the only Ranger in history to have eight ribbies more than once. It was the American League-leading ninth three-plus-hit game of the season for Cruz.

Cruz had a bases-loaded double in the first inning and a majestic grand slam in the seventh. Cruz powered the ball an estimated 414 feet the opposite way into the upper deck of the home run porch.

The Blue Jays tend to bring out the best in Cruz. His previous eight-RBI performance came against Toronto on July 22, 2011.

Dutch Oven dazzles: Holland, who had been inconsistent this season, had his best start since his spectacular performance in Game 4 of the World Series.

Holland had a season-high nine strikeouts while allowing six hits in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs, the first on a solo homer by Edwin Encarnacion and the second after reliever Mark Lowe let an inherited runner score.

The lefty’s fastball touched as high as 96 mph, but Holland’s command was the most impressive facet of his outing. He allowed only one walk -- which didn’t happen until the eighth inning -- and consistently pitched from ahead in the count.

Hamilton HR drought ends: Josh Hamilton's solo blast into the home run porch’s upper deck in the second inning snapped his longest homer drought of the season. Hamilton had gone 11 games and 40 at-bats since his last homer May 12, when he wrapped up his historic nine-homer week. Hamilton’s 10 home runs this month ties a club record for May shared by Juan Gonzalez (1998, ’99), Alex Rodriguez (2001) and Vladimir Guerrero (2010).

It was Hamilton’s league-leading 19th homer. The last player in the majors to have 19 homers after 46 games was the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez in 2007. Hamilton is the fastest to 19 homers in Ranger history.

Torrealba finally goes yard: Yorvit Torrealba's home run drought was a heck of a lot longer than Hamilton’s. His 373-foot shot into the left-field seats in the third inning was his first homer of the season. He hit it during his 69th at-bat of the season. Torrelaba had seven homers in 396 at-bats last season.

Tidbits: The Rangers have scored six or more runs in an inning five times this season. Three of those instances occurred in the first inning. … Kinsler had not walked since May 13 before leading off the first by working a 13-pitch walk. … Beltre has nine RBIs in the last nine games. … Lowe allowed a run for only the third time in 15 appearances this season. … Attendance was announced at 46,789. It was the 14th sellout at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington this season, the third most in franchise history. … Craig Gentry pinch hit for Hamilton in the seventh inning. The Rangers announced that Hamilton’s departure was due to a head cold. … Blue Jays backup catcher Jeff Mathis pitched a scoreless eighth inning. A Rangers fan paid Mathis, who has a career .194 batting average, a backhanded compliment by hollering, “You’re a better pitcher than a hitter!”

Up next: Rangers righty Colby Lewis faces Blue Jays righty Henderson Alvarez at 2:05 p.m. Saturday.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Derek Holland squares off against Brandon Morrow as the Rangers and Blue Jays open up a three-game series Friday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Let's chat all about it. The room is now open for you to post some early questions and participate in polls. We'll start chatting closer to game time. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and TXA-21.

ARLINGTON, Texas – There’s no reason to dance around the fact that the Texas Rangers are mired in a relatively long stretch of mediocrity.

What else can you call a 15-16 run after the 12-2 start?

Manager Ron Washington acknowledges that the Rangers have hit a lull. He vows that it won’t last long.

“That’s what good clubs do, they shorten that period when they’re in a down cycle,” Washington said. “We’re going to break out and get back on a roll.”

It’s not as simple as pinpointing the problem and fixing it. On some nights, the pitching has struggled. On others, the lineup hasn’t produced.

The good news is that the Rangers have basically played .500 ball during their funk and still lead the American League West by five games, the biggest division lead in the AL.

“Things got a little flat, but the only way you can deal with that is work through it,” Washington said. “We’re not going to make an excuse. It’s a long year. You never know when things are going to turn around. You’ve got to keep going at it.”

Some other notes:

*Scott Feldman will make another start Tuesday, primarily because the Rangers really don’t have another choice. He is 0-2 with a 5.11 ERA in three starts, failing to get out of the fifth inning in any of those outings.

“If he’s effective, he’s going to extend himself,” Washington said. “If he isn’t effective, he isn’t going to extend himself.”

*Washington acknowledged that part of the reason Michael Young will play first base tonight is the hope that playing in the field will help get Young’s bat going.

“I think every player when they’re on the field focuses a little different than when they’re just hitting,” Washington said.

Young seemed to snap out of an extended slump while playing first base in the interleague series in Houston. He was 5-for-12 with two doubles against the Astros after entering that series in an 18-for-98 funk. However, Young went 1-for-12 as a designated hitter in the next series in Seattle.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Mike Napoli was scratched from Friday’s lineup because of what the team hopes is a 24-hour bug.

“He tried to move around and do something, but it’s not necessary for me to run him out there,” manager Ron Washington said. “We’ll give him today and hopefully he’ll feel better tomorrow.”

A look at the lineups:

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
3B Adrian Beltre
1B Michael Young
LF David Murphy
RF Nelson Cruz
C Yorvit Torrealba
DH Mitch Moreland
LHP Derek Holland is pitching.

BLUE JAYS
2B Kelly Johnson
SS Yunel Escobar
RF Jose Bautista
DH Edwin Encarnacion
C J.P. Arencibia
CF Colby Rasmus
3B Brett Lawrie
1B Yan Gomes
RHP Brandon Morrow is pitching.

ESPN.com's Keith Law ranks Double-A Frisco RoughRiders shortstop Jurickson Profar the second-best minor league prospect in baseball.

Law ranked his top-25 prospects with Profar sitting at No. 2. Here's part of what Law said about Profar:

"It's hard to rank a guy much lower than this when he has front-line tools and has failed to reach base in just two games this year, the last one on April 7."

To read the rest of what Law wrote on Profar and his complete rankings, click here (Insider).