American League Divisional Series
Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays
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The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays faced off in the first game of the American League Divisional Series at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Both of these teams were not contenders when they made acquisitions at the trade deadline. The Rangers picked up Cole Hamels, while the Blue Jays scored Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. Both teams went from obscurity to winning their division in just a couple of months.
The Rangers sent Yovani Gallardo to face Price in the first game. Gallardo has a 1-2 postseason record with a 2.08 ERA. He is also 2-0 against the Blue Jays this season, pitching 13 2/3 scoreless innings against that high power offense. Price has more postseason starts, but is only 1-5 with a 4.50 ERA. He had one start against the Rangers in which he pitched six innings and gave up two runs to earn the win.
Price worked around a pair of walks in the first with the help of a 4-6-3 double play. Gallardo matched Price’s scoreless frame with a 1-2-3 inning.
Price struck out the side in the second inning. Gallardo answered with another 1-2-3 innning.
Rougned Odor led off the third inning by getting hit by a pitch. Odor moved over to second on a hit-and-run groundout by Robinson Chirinos and scored on a base hit by Delino DeShields.
DeShields moved over on a hit-and-run groundout by Shin-Soo Choo. Adrian Beltre followed that up with a 2-out RBI single to center field.
Beltre hobbled to first as he appeared to injure himself on the swing, then barely made a move to second when Prince Fielder grounded out to second. He came out due to lower back stiffness that he suffered by sliding into second base in the first inning. Hanser Alberto came in to replace Beltre at third base.
Gallardo got through yet another 1-2-3 inning. He went through the of the highest scoring team in the Major Leagues without allowing a base runner.
Price came back after a rough third inning with a 1-2-3 fourth inning.
Ben Revere led off the bottom of the fourth by slapping an 0-1 pitch up the middle for the first Blue Jay base runner. Donaldson followed that up with a walk, putting runners on first and second with nobody out and Jose Bautista up. A fielder’s choice left runners at first and third with one out. Edwin Encarnacion drove in Revere with a slow roller under to third.
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Tulowitzki hit a sacrifice fly to center to move put runners on first and third with two outs. Gallardo got Justin Smoak to strike out to end the threat and take a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning.
Price opened the fifth by hitting Odor. Chirinos followed that up with a two-run home run that just cleared the left field wall. Price settled down and got the next three hitters, and the Rangers settled for a 4-1 lead.
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Russell Martin led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to right-center field. After Ryan Goins moved Martin over to third on a groundout, Kevin Pillar hit a double to right-center field to cut the lead to 4-2.
Ezequiel Carrera came in to pinch hit for Donaldson, who came out of the game precautionary reasons. Donaldson tried to break up a double play in the fourth inning and was struck in the head with Odor’s knee. Carrera grounded out to end the inning.
Price again came back with a 1-2-3 inning to keep the Blue Jays in the game.
Gallardo’s night came to an end after five innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk, and he struck out one. He left the game in line to pick up the win.
Keone Kela came in to pitch in the sixth inning, and Bautista greeted him with a bomb to deep left-center to cut the lead to 4-3. Kela settled down and got the next three batters.
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Odor hit a line drive home run off of Price that just barely cleared the right field wall to make it a 5-3 game. DeShields hit one to left that got lost in the lights for a two-out double and an error. Price got Choo to fly out to deep left to end the inning.
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Jake Diekman came in to pitch the seventh inning and the Blue Jays went three up, three down.
Price finished the day with eight innings pitched, giving up five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five.
Sam Dyson came in and worked around a leadoff single to shut down the Blue Jays in the ninth. Game 1 of the series when to the Rangers by a score of 5-3.
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ALDS Game 2 (Rangers lead 1-0)
Game 2 will be tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 pm. The Rangers will send Cole Hamels up against Marcus Stroman of the Blue Jays. Hamels was acquired by the Rangers from the Phillies just after he threw a no-hitter. Stroman tore his ACL in spring training and has made a miraculous comeback, posting a 4-0 record with a 1.67 ERA in four starts.