Playoff hopeful Blue Jays avoid series sweep with 7-2 win over AL West-leading Texas

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Toronto Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto, of Japan, rounds first base after hitting a single, scoring teammate Brett Bateman, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) is pulled by Texas Rangers manger Skip Schumaker, right, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) — Toronto Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto, of Japan, rounds first base after hitting a single, scoring teammate Brett Bateman, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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5:43 PM on Sunday, September 20

By STEPHEN HAWKINS

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Toronto leadoff hitter Brett Bateman reached base and scored three times, twice knocked in by Nathan Lukes, and the Blue Jays beat the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 7-2 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep in the matchup of playoff hopefuls.

Bateman walked twice against Texas starter Jacob deGrom (11-10), scoring on a sacrifice fly by Lukes in the first and a go-ahead RBI single by Kazuma Okamota in the fifth. Bateman had a leadoff double to ignite a four-run seventh, scoring on a single by Lukes.

With six games remaining, the Rangers (78-78) kept a one-game lead in the AL West after Houston (77-79) lost 4-2 at home to NL East champion Atlanta. The Astros own the division tiebreaker.

Toronto (77-79) had the same record as the Astros, and both were 2 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox for the third and final wild card.

Spencer Arrighetti (9-9), the second of seven Blue Jays pitchers, got the win despite giving up the only Texas runs over his two innings.

DeGrom, who has been dealing with mild groin tightness, left with the bases loaded in the fifth and the Rangers down 3-2. Left-handed reliever Robert Garcia induced an inning-ending double-play grounder on his first pitch.

DeGrom allowed five hits, walked four and hit another batter. The two-time Cy Young Award winner's two strikeouts put his season total at 196, just short of his fifth career 200-strikeout season.

Lukes had a single and scored on Sean Keys' double in the third for a 2-0 Blue Jays lead. Texas got even on Jake Burger's 27th homer, a two-run shot in the fourth that went 398 feet and deflected off Bateman's extended glove when he leaped at the wall in center field.

Up next

Toronto opens a three-game series in Baltimore on Monday night. The Rangers have a day off before opening their final home series Tuesday night against the New York Mets.

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