Langford hits 3-run homer, Burger and Pederson also connect as Rangers beat Blue Jays 6-5

TORONTO (AP) — Wyatt Langford hit a three–run home run, Jake Burger and Joc Pederson also went deep, and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Thursday night.

Pederson went 2 for 3 with two walks and scored twice as Texas bounced back after losing the previous two.

Toronto’s Kazuma Okamoto cut the deficit to one with a two-run homer off Jacob Latz in the ninth, his 18th.

Latz recovered by retiring Alejandro Kirk on a grounder and striking out pinch hitter Brandon Valenzuela for his 15th save in 17 chances.

Rangers shortstop Corey Seager went 0 for 3 and walked twice after being activated off the concussion list. The two-time World Series MVP missed 12 games.

Texas left-hander MacKenzie Gore (5-6) allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings, snapping a four-start winless streak.

Pederson led off with his 12th homer, capping an 11-pitch at bat with a 402-foot drive into the second deck. He fouled off seven pitches before homering.

Langford and Burger both connected in a five-run third. Langford, who also went deep in Wednesday’s loss at Miami, hit his eighth homer. Seven have come in 19 games since he returned from the injured list June 5.

Burger’s two-run shot was his 14th.

All three homers came off Kevin Gausman (4-6), who allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings, his sixth straight winless outing.

Gausman was hit hard by the Cubs in his previous start on June 19 when he gave up seven runs on seven hits in two innings.

Toronto scored three in the fifth. Davis Schneider hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly and Myles Straw followed with a two-run double.

The Blue Jays are 10-17 in series openers.

Up next

Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi (7-7, 4.24 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday against Blue Jays LHP Patrick Corbin (2-3, 4.73).

___

Corrects fifth graf show that Seager was 0 for 3, not 0 for 2.

__

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb