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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Darrin Fletcher broke out of a slump in
a big way.
Fletcher hit three homers and Steve Trachsel pitched six strong
innings as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 6-4 Sunday
night.
|  | | Darrin Fletcher (9) hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career. |
"I was grabbing for anything positive," said Fletcher, who was
in a 1-for-13 slump. "I would have been satisfied to hit the ball
hard a couple of times. I hit four hard, and three out of the
park."
Fletcher had solo homers in the second, fourth and eighth,
giving him 16 for the season and his first career three-homer game.
It also marked the eighth time a Toronto player has homered three
times.
"I haven't been swinging well," Fletcher said. "I hope this
can springboard me. I'll always remember it because it's my first
three-homer game and because of the adversity I've been facing."
Fletcher's last homer was July 3, and he hadn't driven in a
run since Aug. 4. He became the ninth catcher in major league
history to hit three homers.
"Not a whole lot of catchers have done that," Blue Jays
manager Jim Fregosi said. "He's hit well against Texas (12-for-25
against the Rangers this season). It was nice to see him have a
good day because he was struggling."
Jose Cruz Jr. and Shannon Stewart also homered, giving the Blue
Jays a major league-leading 214 for the season.
Trachsel (7-11) won for the first time since June 27, allowing
three runs and six hits. He struck out four and walked two,
snapping a personal four-game losing streak.
Trachsel said he has been pitching well enough to keep his team
in games. He had no-decisions in four of his previous five starts,
with Toronto winning those four games.
"If the team wins, that's what's important," Trachsel said.
"The important thing is I've been feeling more comfortable."
Billy Koch pitched the ninth for his 31st save as the Blue Jays
won for the fifth time in six games.
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the first on Gabe Kapler's RBI single.
Fletcher's first homer tied it, and Stewart's solo shot in the
third gave the Blue Jays the lead for good.
Toronto made it 4-1 in the fourth on Fletcher's second homer and
Stewart's sacrifice fly.
Rafael Palmeiro's 33rd homer of the season, a two-run shot in
the fifth narrowed Toronto's lead to 4-3. It was Palmeiro's 394th
homer, moving him within two of Joe Carter for 34th place all-time.
Fletcher and Cruz hit consecutive homers in the eight to
increase Toronto's lead to 6-3.
Rick Helling (14-9) allowed six runs on 12 hits -- including all
five homers -- over 7 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked
three.
When manager Johnny Oates came out to change pitchers in the
eighth, Helling flipped the ball to him. Oates said Helling was
acting out of frustration because a number of fans behind the
Rangers dugout were loudly panning Helling's performance.
"It's hard any time you hear those things from your own fans,"
Helling said. "They pay their money for the seats and they have
that right. I just want them to know I give it everything I've got
every time I go out there."
Dave Martinez had three hits for the Rangers, and Ricky Ledee's
RBI single in the eighth closed the scoring.
Game notes
Palmeiro reached 100 RBI for the sixth consecutive season.
Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa are the only major league players with at
least 30 homers and 100 RBI in each of the last six seasons. ...
Martinez stretched his hitting streak to 17 games. ... The five
homers allowed by Helling tied the most allowed in a game by a
Texas pitcher. Charlie Hough gave up five homers in a game in 1989.
... Texas' Ivan Rodriguez was the last catcher to have a
three-homer game, on Sept. 11, 1997. ... The Blue Jays have 10 or
more hits in 17 of their last 22 games. ... Toronto had 212 homers
last season. The club record is 221 set in 1998.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Texas Clubhouse
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