Blue Jays at Rangers
The Toronto Blue Jays rebounded from a pair of franchise-worst offensive performances to start the season and put together a solid seven-game homestand. The Blue Jays will face a challenge to continue that momentum when they kick off a rugged nine-game road trip with the first of three against the Texas Rangers on Friday night at Globe Life Park.
After mustering only seven hits combined in their first two games, Toronto ripped off four consecutive victories, a streak that ended in Wednesday's 4-3 setback to the Chicago White Sox. "I think we're playing a pretty good brand of baseball," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We've been swinging the bats. If a couple key guys in that lineup get some things going, we're going to be that much better." The Rangers dropped three of four to the Houston Astros to start the season before salvaging a split of a four-game set at Oakland as Shin-Soo Choo homered versus the Athletics for the second time in as many days. Adrian Beltre reached a pair of milestones in Thursday's 6-3 win, becoming the career hits leader among Latin-born players and moving into a tie for 24th place with Rickey Henderson (3,055) on the all-time list.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), FS Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (0-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. Rangers LH Matt Moore (0-1, 9.00)
Estrada had a strong season debut with seven innings of four-hit ball against the New York Yankees, but he was victimized for a pair of homers to account for the three runs against him. The long ball was an issue in 2017 for Estrada, who was taken deep a career-high 31 times. Estrada beat the Rangers with six innings of one-run ball on May 27 but was pounded for six runs over 3 2/3 innings a month later in Texas.
Moore had a forgettable performance in his debut with the Rangers, permitting four runs and seven hits over four innings against World Series champion Houston. Moore lost 15 games a year ago for the San Francisco Giants, but he has a solid track record against Toronto with a 5-2 record and 3.27 ERA in 10 starts. Russell Martin is 3-for-9 with two homers and six RBIs and Kendrys Morales is 3-for-5 with a home run versus Moore.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rangers RF Nomar Mazara (.357) has multiple hits in half his eight games, including three in a row.
2. Blue Jays 1B Justin Smoak, batting .385, was 10-for-25 with two homers against the Rangers in 2017.
3. Choo's homer Thursday was Texas' seventh of the season -- and first with a man on base.