Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus steals second base in the third inning during MLB game action at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, on May 28, 2017.Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
It was the promotional Country Day at Rogers Centre on Sunday, which always tickles the fancy of Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons.
The hurtin' music streamed over the venue's public-address system in honour of the occasion; everything from Johnny Cash to Carrie Underwood to Jason Aldean.
A good-ol' boy from Texas, Gibbons comes naturally to his acceptance of the genre as a suitable form of listening entertainment, although he is just as prone to crank up the likes of Bon Jovi, Rush – or even Triumph! – on his sound system when the mood strikes.
This day, however, was special for Gibbons – and not just because the roof was open for the first time this season and his team had a chance to sweep away the dreaded Rougned Odor and the Texas Rangers.
The country-alt band Southtown was entertaining the early arrivals at Rogers Centre and the group just happens to be fronted by Jordan Gibbons, the manager's 24-year-old daughter.
Southtown is on tour and the night before opened for the Rheostatics at the iconic Horseshoe Tavern in downtown Toronto. John Gibbons was also in attendance.
And while the pre-game tunes on Sunday might have been music to Gibbons's ears, the events that unfolded in the game – well, not so much.
Joe Biagini, in his fifth appearance in a starting role out of the bullpen, enjoyed his longest outing to date – six innings – during which he allowed just two runs and seven hits.
But the workload was wasted by a lethargic Toronto offence that could not generate much against starter Andrew Cashner, who led the way in a 3-1 Rangers victory. Texas snapped a five-game losing skid.
Cashner (2-4) was solid, going seven innings and limiting Toronto to the one run off five hits.
Gibbons said he was pleased with Biagini and that he went so deep. He said the fact Biagini threw 95 pitches is an indication the team no longer needs to be cautious with him as he continues the transition to starter from reliever.
"I think he did a nice job," Gibbons said of Biagini. "He went six innings. I think they got a good hitting team over there and I thought he held them in check pretty good, that's encouraging.
"Now that's all behind him – building him up. He's good to go, treat him like anybody else."
Despite the loss, it was still a successful weekend for the Blue Jays, who won two of three against the Rangers. The Blue Jays had won five in a row, tying a season best, after topping Texas 3-1 on Saturday on the strength of Jose Bautista's three-run home run in the fifth inning.
The Blue Jays welcome Toronto-native Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds to town for a three-game swing, beginning on Monday night.
Along with the musical stylings of Southtown, the Country Day festivities also included the giveaway of blue-coloured cowboy hats to the first 15,000 spectators.
Once inside, fans could also participate in some line dancing if the mood struck, or play a game of ring toss with cowboy boots acting as the pegs.
Kevin Pillar struck the right chords early for the Blue Jays, with a lined double to left leading off the first inning. That snuffed a 0-for-12 hitless streak.
Pillar took third on a ground-out and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Bautista to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.
Texas drew even in the third when a Jonathan Lucroy grounder through the middle scored Elvis Andrus from second base.
The Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Joey Gallo launched his 15th home run, taking Biagini over the wall in left-centre.
Forced into the rotation after injuries to J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez and Francisco Liriano, Biagini was effective and probably deserved better.
"C-plus, maybe a B-minus considering my expansion of pitches," Biagini said in his typical stream-of-consciousness response, when asked to characterize his outing. "But a lot of room for improvement."
It is anticipated that Happ, a 20-game winner a year ago, who had only pitched in three games in 2017 before being felled by elbow soreness, will return on Tuesday to start against the Reds.
Dominic Leone came on in relief of Biagini in the seventh and was wobbly, allowing a one-out single to Andrus, his third hit of the game, and then a double to Nomar Mazara.
With runners at second and third, Leone then served up a wild pitch that brought in the third Texas run.