Red-hot Blue Jays open series with Rangers
The Toronto Blue Jays (69-55) and the Texas Rangers (64-59) are two of the hottest teams in the American League and both are pushing their way toward post-season spots.
Toronto has won seven of its last 10 games overall and will try to maintain its grip on at least a share of first place in the AL East in the opener of a three-game set in Arlington, Tex., on Tuesday night (8:05 p.m. ET).
Josh Donaldson and the Jays did the Rangers a big favour by crushing the Los Angeles Angels by a combined 36-10 in a three-game sweep over the weekend.
The Blue Jays, who are tied with the New York Yankees atop their division, will send lefty Mark Buehrle (13-6, 3.45 ERA) to the mound, while the Rangers will look to southpaw Derek Holland (1-1, 3.68) to try to slow Toronto's sizzling offence.
Meanwhile, the Rangers have won three straight and nine of 11 to surge into the second AL wild-card slot and are rallying behind a pitching staff that is allowing an average of 2.9 runs in those last 11 contests.
Cole Hamels picked up his first win since joining the team on Sunday while another new acquisition, slugger Mike Napoli, homered for the second time in three games as he reacquaints himself with Texas.
Buehrle allowed more than three earned runs for the first time since May 29 on Wednesday, when he surrendered four in as many innings in a loss at Philadelphia.
The veteran had gone seven innings in each of his previous three starts and 10 of 11. Buehrle won against Texas on June 26 as he yielded two runs on five hits and a pair of walks in seven frames.
Holland returned on Wednesday after missing more than four months with a strained muscle in his shoulder and beat the Seattle Mariners. He scattered two runs and eight hits across 6 1/3 innings while striking out six and not issuing a walk.
Outlook
- The Blue Jays will send David Price to the mound on Wednesday. The Rangers will counter with Colby Lewis.
- The series wraps up with an afternoon game on Thursday and will feature a pitching matchup of Marco Estrada for the Blue Jays and Yovani Gallardo for the Rangers.
Notes
- Blue Jays 1B Edwin Encarnacion has hit safely in 19 straight games and homered in three of his last five.
- Toronto RF Jose Bautista went 6-for-10 with a homer, four runs scored and three RBIs in the last two games.
- The Yankees defeated the Astros 1-0 in the first of a three-game series that continues on Tuesday night in New York.
