Varsho, Guerrero homer to help Blue Jays sweep Rangers, Gray leaves without throwing a pitch

Josh Smith hit a two-run homer, but Texas lost its third straight game after winning the previous five. The Rangers were blown out for the fifth time, all out.

“You’re going to hit bumps in the road,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “This is a tough one.”

Rangers right-hander Jon Gray left the game without throwing a pitch after experiencing discomfort in his right groin during first-inning warmups.

“It’s the worst,” Gray said. “It feels like a bad dream. It’s ridiculous.”

Gray was on the 15-day injured list from May 22 to June 7 with a minor groin injury, which he said felt different than the previous one.

“I couldn’t really get my leg off the ground in the warm-up,” Gray said.

The Rangers, who got just two outs from starter Michael Lorenzen in Saturday’s 7-3 loss, brought in right-handed pitcher Jonathan Hernández to replace Gray.

Hernández (3-1) allowed five runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings, including Varsho’s two-run home run in the first.

“It’s kind of like spring training, where you don’t really know who you’re going to be playing against,” Varsho said. “You just take a little film, take a little bit of the report and you can have a competitive at-bat.”

Guerrero hit his 19th home run with one out in the third inning.

After left-hander Jacob Latz retired the side and allowed one run, Lorenzen took over in the fifth inning and retired the batter on 14 pitches.

Lorenzen pitched the final four innings, allowing one run and three hits.

Bochy said Lorenzen came to him and offered to pitch after Gray left.

“I can’t say enough about what he’s done,” Bochy said. “That’s quite a job he’s done to pick us up.”

Lorenzen threw 40 pitches on Saturday before being relieved, and 55 on Sunday.

Berrios gave up one run and six hits, improving to 7-2 with a 2.99 ERA in 11 home games. He is 2-6 with a 4.99 ERA in 11 road games.

“He had good fastball control,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “When he does that, he sets up his other three pitches.”

Smith went down in pain after hitting a ball off his left knee in the eighth inning, but he closed his at-bat against left-hander Génesis Cabrera with a two-run home run. It was his 11th at-bat.

Cabrera got two outs before right-hander Zach Pop retired Jonah Heim to end the eighth inning, stranding two runners. Pop ended the ninth inning for his first career save.

Toronto brought back C Brian Serven from Triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Jays traded C Danny Jansen to Boston on Saturday.

Blue Jays: OF Kevin Kiermaier (hip) stayed in the game after hitting the wall while trying to catch Wyatt Langford’s double in the fifth. Kiermaier singled in the bottom half and was replaced by pinch-runner Steward Berroa.

Rangers: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (7-4, 3.31 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday when Texas visits St. Louis. RHP Andre Pallante (4-4, 3.92) pitches for the Cardinals.

Blue Jays: Toronto opens a four-game series at Baltimore with a doubleheader on Monday. RHP Yariel Rodriguez (1-3, 3.69 ERA) starts Game 1 for Toronto, and RHP Bowden Francis (3-2, 5.82) is called up from Triple-A to start Game 2.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb