Martin Perez to start Game 3 against Toronto

Hard-throwing right-hander Yordano Ventura is set to take the ball in Game 1, and while he finished the regular season on a high note, he was demoted to Triple-A in July and lugs lingering concerns about his hotheaded tendencies. Gallardo has owned Toronto this season, and the Rangers have won seven of his last nine road starts.

The roof will be closed in the “Ole SkyDome” this afternoon for Game #1 of the ALDS between the visiting Texas Rangers and home town Toronto Blue Jays. Games 1 and 2 against the Blue Jays will take place squarely in the middle of the workday, thanks the MLB’s refusal to allow playoff games to overlap and Toronto and DFW’s status as less than desirable markets. This all means that playoff season is officially here.

As this lost season drags on, and even the ice grows exhausted of the Edmonton Oilers skating on it, I’m noticing more goals against where the entire Oilers team just doesn’t look sharp.

The 71-year-old Gaston was at the helm when the Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992 and ’93. They are back in familiar territory, making their fourth playoff appearance in the past six years.

This series, then, may come down to the offenses. The Jays were 48-23 after the all-star break while the Rangers were 46-28. Russell Martin is set to catch the first two games. He was also third in baseball among position players with 8.7 fWAR.

“The body of work and how he’s pitched lately were factors”, Banister said.

David Price did pitch while Cole Hamels did not. He was just 2-2 with a hefty 4.85 ERA in six September starts but his success versus the Blue Jays made him the no-brainer call to pitch the opener.

The 30-year-old is a big kid, in many ways.

The energy around a potential historic Cubs postseason run combined with an exiting Blue Jay team with an entire country behind them would provide quite the postseason experience for baseball fans. Can he make it three? This is only the first game, so you can’t risk further injury this early. With eight career shutouts in 138 starts, though, we know he’s plenty capable of pitching well on any given night.

This is a team sport after all.

The only unknown was the last pair of digits on the capacity crowd of just more than 50,500 during their third straight season drawing more than 4 million fans. Even so, they went 38-22 after August. In the second half the Jays’ bullpen had the best ERA in the American League.

Of course, Texas has its share of offensive weapons, which helped the Rangers finish third in the AL in runs scored. 500 in one-run affairs. “Let’s come together and cheer on our Blue Jays at Nathan Phillips Square”, Mayor John Tory said in a release.

“I don’t care what team I’m on, I want to conduct myself in that locker-room, in the dugout and out there on the field, the way that I always have”.