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ARLINGTON — David Murphy's two-run single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a three-run rally and lifted the Texas Rangers past the Toronto Blue Jays 9-8 last night.
Pinch hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia drew a one-out walk from B.J. Ryan, 2-4, and Michael Young followed with a single.
Brandon Boggs, who entered the game when Josh Hamilton left with dizziness after the sixth inning, doubled to score Saltalamacchia.
Ryan, who blew his third save in 23 chances, intentionally walked Marlon Byrd to load the bases.
Texas Rangers' Ramon Vazquez, left, scores on the single by Frank Catalanotto as Toronto Blue Jays catcher Rod Barajas waits for the throw in the fifth inning in Arlington, Texas Aug. 1, 2008. (Mike Stone/Reuters)
Murphy, who drove in four runs, hit a grounder just past diving Scott Rolen at third base to bring in the tying and winning runs.
C.J. Wilson, 2-2, picked up the win despite allowing two runs in the ninth inning.
Adam Lind gave Toronto a 7-6 lead in the top of the ninth inning with a one-out triple, and he scored on Kevin Mench's run-scoring groundout.
The Blue Jays had totalled six runs over their past four games.
Rolen, who broke an 0-for-17 skid, ignited Toronto's offence with a three-run home run in the second inning. It was Rolen's first homer since June 26, a span of 97 at-bats. Lyle Overbay added a two-run shot as the Blue Jays took a 6-0 lead.
Hamilton, whose status is day-to-day, hit his 26th homer in the fourth inning and drove in two runs to increase his major league-leading total to 106.
Texas, which got to 6-2 on Hamilton's homer, scored four in the fifth inning to tie the score.
Frank Catalanotto had a run-scoring single, and Young added a run-producing double to make the score 6-4. Murphy capped Texas's scoring with a two-run single.
Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum allowed six runs and eight hits in 41/3 innings. Marcum, who hasn't won since May 26, was making just his third start since coming off the disabled list with a sore elbow.
Texas's Tommy Hunter, who allowed six runs over five innings in his first career start, became the sixth pitcher to make his major-league debut for Texas this season, 14 months after he was selected by the Rangers with the 54th overall pick of the 2007 draft.
The Rangers called up Hunter from Triple-A Oklahoma. Hunter is the 16th rookie to play for the Rangers this season, matching the club record.
Notes: Rangers designated hitter Milton Bradley was not available for the third consecutive game because of a strained left quadriceps. … Toronto's David Eckstein played second base for the first time since 2001. … Blue Jays reliever Jesse Carlson, who was being taken out of the game by manager Cito Gaston, was ejected by home-plate umpire Angel Campos in the sixth. … Rangers third baseman Ramon Vazquez left the game in the ninth with an injury when he dived trying to stop Rios's single. … The game-time temperature was 38.
