Blue Jays 6, Rangers 2

TORONTO – Miguel Batista struck out a season-high seven in eight innings to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to their fifth straight victory, 6-2 over the struggling Texas Rangers.

Toronto’s Carlos Delgado left after the fifth inning with an irritated right ribcage. He grimaced after swinging the bat on a groundout.

The Rangers have lost a season-high four straight and have scored in just three of their last 36 innings.

Batista (3-4) allowed two runs, five hits and three walks, taking a shutout into the seventh before allowing Laynce Nix’s RBI grounder and a run-scoring wild pitch, which pulled Texas to 3-2. Batista was coming off a 7-2 loss to Boston on May 23 in which he gave up five runs in three innings.

Eric Hinske, who went 2-for-4 and raised his average to .216, hit a two-run single in the seventh off Erasmo Ramirez for a 5-2 lead. Reed Johnson added a solo homer in the eighth off Ramirez.

Delgado, who hit a sacrifice fly in the first, was replaced by Dave Berg at first base in the sixth. The Blue Jays already are missing regulars Frank Catalanotto (right groin), Orlando Hudson (strained left hamstring), Kevin Cash (bruised ribcage) and Chris Woodward (straight right hamstring).

Juan Dominguez (0-1), recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma on Friday, allowed three runs and eight his in 5 1-3 innings.

Johnson’s RBI grounder in the fourth and Dominguez’s run-scoring wild pitch in the sixth made it 3-0. Toronto scored in the seventh after reliever Frank Francisco walked Gregg Zaun, hit Josh Phelps with a pitch and walked Alexis Rios, loading the bases.

Notes: Delgado left Monday’s game against Anaheim after the third inning with a jammed right knee. … Berg ended a 0-for-12 slump with a single in the seventh. … The Rangers have lost five of six. … Texas is 1-4 so far on its 11-game trip.

AP-ES-05-29-04 1858EDT