Rangers lose Beltre early in Game 1 due to back stiffness

Beltre, injured sliding into second base in the first inning, left after the third with what was called lower back stiffness. He is considered day to day with a strained back going into Friday afternoon’s Game 2 of the series. He started strongly Thursday, retiring the first nine Jays he faced before exiting after five innings with a 4-2 lead.

Daniels said Beltre was hurt during a slide into second base as Prince Fielder hit into an inning-ending double play in the first. Utility infielder Cliff Pennington later replaced Carrera at third base.

Beltre received an anti-inflammatory shot during the Rangers’ 5-3 win.

Criticized by his own players for sitting on his hands and not making any trades at the 2014 deadline, Anthopoulos bided his time.

Tim Beckham drew a two-out bases-loaded walk and Butler hit a grand slam on an 85 miles per hour offering – the fastest of Buehrle’s 45 pitches – to make it 6-0. Toronto said Donaldson, who kept a Jays rally alive by sacrificing his body, was pulled as a precaution.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Donaldson felt light-headed while playing defense in the top of the fifth, forcing the AL MVP candidate to come out of the game. “But he did pass the test so that’s a good sign”. He singled in the second run of the game in the third.

“If he’s not playing in the game, he’s banged up”, said Toronto catcher Russell Martin. Five innings was enough for Banister, working with a rested bullpen.

With runners at the corners, Encarnacion hit a trickler to third that Alberto could not field as Revere came home with the first Blue Jays run against Gallardo in his three starts against him this season.

Odor restored the two-run lead when he lined a one-out homer to right in the seventh.

“As poorly as we played in the first game is as well as we played in the second game”, Showalter said.

“We told him take it on in and get it right because we need you”, Hamilton said. He quickly settled into the game and cruised through the first three innings while keeping Toronto’s big hitters off balance.

Gallardo has finished the sixth inning only twice in his last 17 starts. He and Donaldson combined for 81 homers during the regular season. Donaldson broke up the double play at second, losing his batting helmet and grimacing as he got up.

Toronto certainly has the better all-around team, but the Rangers were one of the hottest teams in baseball down the stretch of the season. They worked well together during the season…. Toronto went 40-18 and Texas 38-22 since the start of August.

The Rangers also lost one of their star players earlier in the game.

There was plenty of pre-game hoopla, with the “2015 AL East Champs” banner unfurled high in the rafters.

They clowned around before the first pitch, then took care of New York when it was time to get serious, before resuming their playful antics with a rousing 30-minute postgame party. And there was another tie to the glory days with the Canadian anthem – a recording of the late Michael Burgess from the 1992 World Series played as members of the military manned a giant Canadian flag in the outfield. But Buehrle was grinning and joking around in the dugout after his two outs of work. “I feel like we feed off that energy that the country brings us”.

Two Jays fans watching the game at the downtown Boston Pizza were happy to talk off the record about cheering for the Jays, but declined to comment on the record, saying it could get them in a little trouble with their boss.