Blue Jays vs. Rangers
Jose Bautista struggled in April, but May has been kind for the Toronto slugger. Bautista enters Friday’s series opener at Texas hitting .280 with nine homers and a .989 OPS. His recent performance followed a brutal first month in which he hit .181 with three homers. Texas, which won 22 of its first 33 contests, is just 5-7 in its past 12 games.
While Bautista is heating up, Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton has cooled off briefly in the past week. In his past seven games, Hamilton is 6-for-25 (.240), dropping his batting average from .404 to .379. Hamilton has not homered since May 12. The Blue Jays beat Texas twice in three games April 30-May 2 in Toronto, scoring 19 runs in the two victories.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, SN-1 (Toronto), TXA-21 (Texas).
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Brandon Morrow (5-2, 2.63 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Derek Holland (3-3, 4.27 ERA).
Morrow continues to be one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season. The 27-year-old threw his second complete game in his past four starts on Saturday against the Mets, a three-hit shutout in which Morrow struck out eight and walked just one. Opponents are hitting just .192 against Morrow, who has a WHIP of 0.96.
A one-inning bullpen stint and an extra day of rest didn’t help Holland in his last start. The left-hander allowed five earned runs in five innings against Houston on Sunday. After posting a 5.13 ERA in April, Holland has allowed just six earned runs in 19 1/3 innings in May (2.79 ERA).
WALK-OFFS:
1. Toronto first baseman Adam Lind is 5-for-10 with a homer since being optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
2. Michael Young is hitting .400 with a homer, a double and five RBIs against Morrow in 15 career at-bats.
3. The Rangers lead baseball in hitting (.284) and RBIs (235).