ARLINGTON, Texas - Kumar Rocker did not earn the win. He did the harder early work of making sure someone else could.
The right-hander started Friday night at Globe Life Field and worked 4 1/3 innings - three hits, one run, two walks, two strikeouts on 76 pitches - before Toronto scratched across its only run, per ESPN's box.
Texas beat the Blue Jays 7-1, reached .500 for a majors-leading 23rd time, and pulled even with Houston atop the American League West after the Astros lost to Atlanta 6-2, the Associated Press reported.
Trevor Williams (2-0) threw the next four scoreless innings for the win. Rocker's line was the setup: take a 4-0 cushion into the fifth, leave after Straw's RBI double made it 4-1, and trust the bridge.
Early cushion, then the hitch
Texas scored four in the second before Rocker needed much help. Evan Carter's bases-loaded grounder and a throwing error by shortstop Ernie Clement scored Wyatt Langford and Jake Burger. Ezequiel Duran's sacrifice fly and Corey Seager's RBI double made it 4-0, the AP wrote.
Dylan Cease (11-6) walked six of his first 15 batters and was gone with two outs in the third after 38 balls and 36 strikes.
Five of Texas' seven runs were unearned. Toronto walked 10 and committed three throwing errors. Rocker's job was to keep that early chaos from bouncing back. He retired batters for four-plus innings until Myles Straw doubled home J. Smith in the fifth. Tyler Alexander recorded an out. Williams closed the rest.
ESPN's box lists Rocker at 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K. CBS Sports matches. It was not a complete-game candidate. It was a starter's share of a 7-1 win in September.