Blue Jays' big first inning too much for Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas _ Another big inning came Wednesday night at Globe Life Park, but this time it wasn't the Texas Rangers' bats' doing the damage.

The Toronto Blue Jays held on to beat the Rangers 7-5 by the time the last pitch was thrown at 10:28 p.m., but the outcome was all but decided about three hours earlier.

The Blue Jays jumped on Tyson Ross for six runs on five hits, a walk and a Ross throwing error to take a 6-0 lead in the first inning. Darwin Barney's three-run homer capped the first-inning onslaught, which was Ross's second start of the season.

The Rangers pecked away at the 6-0 deficit with two runs in the third, a run in the fifth and a two more in the sixth, to make it 7-5.

Joey Gallo collected three extra-base hits for the first time in his career, including an inside the park homer in the fifth inning. Left fielder Steve Pearce lost the opposite-field line drive and banged against the wall trying to track it down. By the time he hobbled to retrieve the ball off the deflection, Gallo was rounding third base.

It's the eighth inside the park homer at Globe Life Park and first since Ryan Rua on July 30, 2015. Gallo also doubled in the third and sixth innings. Shin-Soo Choo's two-run homer in the third put the Rangers on the board, but still trailing 7-2. Delino DeShields' two-run single in the sixth closed the deficit to 7-5.

The Rangers' bullpen worked valiantly to keep Toronto in check. Ernesto Frieri pitched three scoreless innings, Dario Alvarez pitched a scoreless 1 2/3 innings before Tanner Scheppers recorded the final out in the eighth with runners on the corners. Keone Kela pitched a scoreless ninth to give the Rangers a chance to tie with two in the ninth.

The Jays' bullpen, however, was also stout. Nine of last 10 Rangers' batters were retired. Choo walked with two outs in the ninth but Elvis Andrus grounded out to third to end the game.