Texas @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2010 ) Texas 5, Toronto 8

With Josh Hamilton on the sidelines and the Texas Rangers mired in a dreadful slump, the pressure is on the rest of the lineup to step up.

Continued production from Vladimir Guerrero would be a big help, as well.

Guerrero and the Rangers look to end a five-game losing streak Wednesday night as they resume their four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Jays won the opening two games of the set and have beaten Texas in seven straight head-to-head meetings.

Though Texas still has a comfortable seven-game lead on the Oakland Athletics in the American League West division, Rangers fans may be getting a little nervous that their team has dropped nine of its last 12 games. Having Hamilton out indefinitely with a rib injury isn't helping matters, with the star outfielder batting .361 with 31 home runs and 97 RBIs.

Speedy shortstop Elvis Andrus (hamstring) is also on the shelf, putting even more stress on a lineup that has averaged fewer than four runs over its past five games.

Guerrero becomes the focal point of the offense, and with his success against Toronto this season there may be some hope yet. The 35-year-old designated hitter is batting an absurd .536 (15-for-28) with two homers and six RBIs in eight games versus the Blue Jays in 2010.

His two-run homer was one of the lone bright spots in Tuesday's 8-5 defeat, the two RBIs giving him 102 for the season.

It was a welcome development for Guerrero, who belted 20 home runs in the first half but has just seven after the all-star break. His second-half batting average is a pedestrian .258, a precipitous drop from the .319 he hit prior to the All-Star break.

He'll look to pad his numbers against Blue Jays left-hander Mark Rzepczynski (1-3), who has been downright awful over the past month. Since earning his only victory of the season Aug. 13 with seven scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels, the 25-year-old has surrendered 18 runs in his past 17 innings spanning four dreadful starts.

That ballooned his ERA to 6.62, and opponents are now hitting .306 off him for the season.

Rzepczynski was victimized by the Yankees his last time out, tagged for five runs on six hits over four innings. He has also made it easy for opposing hitters of late, issuing 15 walks over his last four starts.

Texas will counter with fellow sophomore lefty Derek Holland (2-3). The 23-year-old won his first two starts of the season but hasn't been victorious since, and the Rangers have lost each of his last six appearances.

Holland allowed four runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings in his last outing, a 4-3 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. That defeat kicked off the Rangers' current losing skid, which is one shy of their season high.

Holland will need to be wary of Vernon Wells. The veteran outfielder, who has a home near Arlington, has been most unwelcoming to his hometown team, hitting eight home runs in eight meetings this season – including three so far in the series.