If a deciding game is required, it will be played Wednesday at Rogers Centre.
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The underdog Rangers struck from an unlikely source.
“I think he got a little lightheaded, felt that something wasn’t right”, Toronto manager John Gibbonds said.
“They check for concussions, and apparently he passed all the tests”.
“That kind of thing happens from time to time”, Bautista said.
Fortunately for the fans, the injuries to Donaldson and Bautista are not as bad as first feared and both are expected in the lineup on Friday for Game 2 of the ALDS.
Yovani Gallardo (1-0) allowed two runs and four hits in five innings, improving to 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in four career starts against Toronto. He threw 90 pitches, 59 for strikes.
Price, who did not hit a batter as a Jay during the regular season, hit Odor twice in five innings – a Toronto playoff record. The rotation is going to have a tough time keeping the Blue Jays’ offense in check; Texas may have to just match them homer-for-homer. “So that’s good news”, Gibbons said.
Hard-throwing Sam Dyson pitched the ninth for Texas, hitting 98 m.p.h. Encarnacion opened with a single but the Jays came up short.
Beltre had an RBI single to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead and appeared to be in a few discomfort at first base.
Donaldson did not bat in the fifth after being hurt in the fourth.
Bautista said the Game 1 defeat “doesn’t make a difference” in his approach.
The Rangers also lost their standout third basemen in the game when Adrian Beltre was pulled in the third after suffering stiffness in his back. He started to leave the dugout to come out for the top of the ninth but grimaced and went back to the locker-room for treatment. The big man settled down in the second inning, striking out the side. In the seventh, Odor hit a homer. Beltre singled to center, DeShields scored. The injury would carry a price for the Rangers. In the sixth inning, he added his first postseason home run.
Kevin Pillar doubled home Russell Martin in the bottom half, but Toronto left a runner at third when pinch-hitter Ezequiel Carerra, batting in Donaldson’s spot, hit an inning-ending groundouty. That ended Gallardo’s scoreless streak against the Jays this season at 16 2/3 innings. He dropped to 1-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 11 postseason games, including six starts. Neither is losing two of three in the regular season series finale.
Toronto certainly has the better all-around team, but the Rangers were one of the hottest teams in baseball down the stretch of the season. Toronto went 40-18 and Texas 38-22 since the start of August. They worked well together during the season….
There was plenty of pre-game hoopla, with the “2015 AL East Champs” banner unfurled high in the rafters. And there was another tie to the glory days with the Canadian anthem – a recording of the late Michael Burgess from the 1992 World Series played as members of the military manned a giant Canadian flag in the outfield.
Price’s effectiveness in recent years didn’t come from his 95 miles per hour fastball so much as his off-speed pitches that kept hitters off balance.
Yes, Toronto Blue Jays fever has infected Halifax, and local sports retailers are medicating the masses with hats, jerseys and T-shirts for all shapes and sizes, as Canada’s only Major League Baseball club heads into post-season.
The Royal Ontario Museum bathed a dinosaur skeleton in blue.
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The victory over American League Cy Young contender Price allowed Texas to take control of series as they send ace lefthander Cole Hamels to the hill for Game Two on Friday against Marcus Stroman. I wanted to pitch well for my teammates and pitch well for this country.
