Rangers at Blue Jays
Just like when the two teams met in the American League Division Series last fall, the first game between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016 was a tight affair. The Blue Jays will try to even the four-game set at one win apiece when they host the Rangers again on Tuesday.
Jose Bautista drew the ire of the Texas during that ALDS when he bashed a go-ahead home run off Sam Dyson and then flipped his bat before circling the bases but could not make the same magic happen on Monday. Bautista came up with two runners on against Dyson in the eighth inning but lined out to cap an 0-for-4 effort with a pair of strikeouts in a 2-1 loss. The Rangers could have used Nomar Mazara in that series last fall, and the rookie made his presence felt with a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Monday and an outfield assist in the bottom of the frame. Mazara was named the AL Rookie of the Month for April and is 3-for-9 with a homer and a pair of RBIs so far in May.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Southwest (Texas), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Martin Perez (1-2, 4.20 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (1-2, 2.92)
Perez picked up his first win of the season against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, surrendering two runs and six hits in six innings. The Venezuela native allowed three or fewer runs in four of his five starts but received more than three runs of support in only one of those outings. Perez had a chance to close out Toronto in Game 3 of the ALDS but was reached for four runs on six hits and three walks in five innings to suffer the loss.
Estrada worked seven scoreless innings to earn a win in his season debut on April 10, but is 0-2 with eight runs allowed in 17 2/3 innings over his last three outings. The 32-year-old had some trouble staying in the zone with eight walks in his last two starts and was reached for three runs in 6 2/3 innings in a loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. Estrada went up against Perez in Game 3 last fall and earned the win while permitting one run and scattering five hits without a walk in 6 1/3 frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki is 1-for-20 with nine strikeouts in the last six games.
2. Texas DH Prince Fielder has hit safely in four straight games and six of seven to raise his batting average to .208.
3. Toronto CF Kevin Pillar is 6-for-11 in the last three games and recorded multiple hits in five of the last nine.