Rangers at Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers seem to be incapable of playing games that don’t include dramatic moments in the late innings. The Blue Jays will try to follow up their American League Division Series victory over the Rangers last fall with a series win in their first 2016 meeting when they host the finale of a four-game set on Thursday.
Texas took the opener of the series when Nomar Mazara bashed a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Monday and threw a runner out at the plate in the bottom of the frame, but it has been Toronto getting the key late hits in the last two contests. Justin Smoak hit a tying home run in the ninth on Tuesday and a walk-off blast in the 10th, and Edwin Encarnacion tied it with a two-run blast in the sixth inning on Wednesday before Russell Martin’s walk-off single capped the 4-3 win. The win made the Blue Jays 4-2 in their last six games, and the pitching staff is surrendering an average of two runs in that span. The Rangers scored an average of six runs in the five games prior to visiting Toronto but have totaled six in the first three games of the series.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Southwest (Texas), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers LH Derek Holland (3-1, 2.48 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (3-0, 2.76)
Holland has yet to allow more than three runs in a start and cruised through six scoreless innings in a win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. The 29-year-old only registered one strikeout in the outing but did not walk a batter in his second scoreless start of the season. Holland is 3-2 with a 5.15 ERA in eight career regular-season games against Toronto and was lit up for six runs – three homers – in two innings against the Blue Jays last postseason.
Happ has recorded a quality start in each of his first five outings but could not get enough run support to pull out a win at Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Northwestern product surrendered three runs on six hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings but did not factor in the decision in a 4-3 loss. Happ, who was not part of the team during the run to the playoffs last season, is 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki is 2-for-29 in the last eight games, dropping his batting average to .160.
2. Texas optioned C Brett Nicholas to Triple-A Round Rock and traded C Chris Gimenez to Cleveland for cash considerations.
3. Smoak is 6-for-11 in the series with his first two homers of the season and three RBIs.