TORONTO — Roberto Osuna relishes those high-pressure save situations.
So when the Toronto Blue Jays rookie — and newly minted closer — gave up a lead-off double in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 3-2 win against the Texas Rangers, it didn’t even faze him.
"I’m going to be honest — nothing," Osuna said when asked what went through his mind after issuing the double to Rougned Odor. "What I thought was ‘I’ve got to make better pitches’ … I just focused on the game."
Osuna did just that, getting two fly outs before closing it out with a three-pitch strikeout to Mitch Moreland for the second save of his career.
The 20-year-old right-hander came into the game with two out and two on in the eighth after Steve Delabar gave up a lead-off double and walk, and promptly struck out Shin-Soo Choo on three straight pitches to end the inning.
Osuna credits some of his success to his changeup, a pitch that catcher Russell Martin urged him to throw more during spring training.
On Sunday, he used an 83 mile-per-hour changeup — after two straight 97 mile-per-hour fastballs — to strike out Choo in the eighth, and turned to it again during Moreland’s at-bat in the ninth.
"I think it’s the best pitch I’ve got right now and I tried to use that a little bit more, especially today," Osuna said. "They were looking for the fastball so I gave them the changeup."
Drew Hutchison (8-1) struck out eight and gave up four hits, three walks and one unearned run over 5 2-3 innings for his fifth straight win.
Josh Donaldson hit a home run as the Blue Jays (41-36) took two-of-three games of the series and Devon Travis and Jose Reyes had an RBI apiece.
Elvis Andrus had three hits and an RBI and Adrian Beltre drove in a run for the Rangers (38-38).
Chi Chi Gonzalez (2-3) went six innings for Texas, allowing three earned runs on four hits and four walks.
"Hutchison was really good today getting out of some jams in a tight ball game. That was huge, that’s why we won it," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "But it was a battle. They threw some pretty good pitching at us and that’s what they do. Big win for us."
Donaldson put the Blue Jays on the board in the fourth inning with his 18th home run of the season. The solo blast –Toronto’s first hit of the game — landed in the Jays bullpen over the left-field wall.
Travis extended the lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double to left field that scored Ezequiel Carrera from first base. Reyes then drove in Travis with a sharp line-drive single to centre to make it 3-0.
Hutchison made a nice defensive play in the top of the sixth, leaping off the mound to snag a high-bouncing ground ball and throwing it to first for the first out of the frame.
The next batter, Prince Fielder, hit a single to snap Hutchison’s streak of 12 straight retired Rangers. Fielder advanced to second on an error to Travis, went to third on a force out, and scored on Andrus’ single.
Aaron Loup relieved Hutchison after the Jays starter walked Joey Gallo to load the bases with two out in the sixth. Loup got out of the jam with a strikeout to Leonys Martin.
"I thought I located the ball well and it was disappointing not to get deep into the game," Hutchison said. "To be kind of in control and get the first guy out (of the sixth inning) and not be able to make a pitch there with two outs. … But our bullpen came in there and did a great job."
Choo scored the second Rangers run of the game when Beltre hit a force-out chopper off Bo Schultz in the seventh. The run was charged to Loup.
NOTES: Toronto was outhit 9-4. … Texas stole three bases off Hutchison over the first two innings. … Attendance was 42,376. … The Blue Jays continue their homestand with a four-game series vs. Boston starting Monday. R.A. Dickey (3-7, 4.88 earned-run average) will start for Toronto while the Red Sox counter with Clay Buchholz (5-6, 3.68 ERA).
