Blue Jays in hole after 14-inning loss to Rangers

Early on, the game looked like it could get sloppy as the Rangers scored twice in the first after a series of Blue Jays blunders.

The Blue Jays got a first-inning homer from third baseman Josh Donaldson.

Carlos Correa is recovering after fouling pitches off his knee in each of the Astros’ first two ALDS games against Kansas City. Though Toronto is the team down 1-0 in a five-game series, they aren’t the ones facing a must-win game.

(Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP).

Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Adrian Beltre all left Game #1 before the final out with minor injuries. It can also be seen streaming live online through FOX Sports Go.

As Stroman found his groove, the Jays defence began to batten down the hatches with shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and Bautista – recovered from Thursday’s hamstring cramp – making dazzling fielding plays in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively. “Good wood, too, you know?” They play the next two games in Houston and on Sunday face left-hander Dallas Keuchel, who is 15-0 this season at Minute Maid Park. Third baseman Adrian Beltre is not starting for the Rangers. They can put a hurting on a pitching staff. It’s up to us to keep the pressure on them and continue to play the way we are.

Alberto, a 22-year-old rookie who made his big league debut this season, also had a sacrifice fly.

“As far as our bullpen is concerned, what a phenomenal job they did today and the zeros they put up”, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. Its victory made road clubs 5-0 in the playoffs to that point; the only time that had happened in the postseason was the 1906 all-Chicago World Series, STATS said. Donaldson and pitcher Keone Kela exchange words.

Ross Ohlendorf, with an old-school, double-armed windup, finished for a save. Herrera picked up the victory and Davis logged his first postseason save.

Meanwhile, the Jays feared power lineup hit balls hard off Texas starter Yovani Gallardo, the quintessential nibbler.

Toronto went ahead for the first time in the series in the fifth after Pillar doubled, moved to third on Goins’ bunt and scored on Revere’s single.

What most Jays fans will be focused on after this game is the 14th-inning replay review of a unusual play in which right fielder Jose Bautista, fielding a sharply hit single, tried to nab Odor, the lead runner, who had drifted past second base after moving up on the single.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “The ball was up in the zone a little bit but we stayed with the game plan and got a few ground balls whenever I needed to and limited the damage”.

Odor was called safe and would go on to register the go-ahead run on Alberto’s single to right-centre. Then Marcus Stroman shooed everyone else out of the spotlight – that is, until John Gibbons grabbed it with a couple of contentious decisions that sparked a flood of scorn from the jurists in the media, social and otherwise.

“He’s not the most experienced umpire, kind of young”, Martin said.

“I can tell you about today”, said Manfred. Donaldson eventually struck out.

“We haven’t discounted him of tomorrow’s amusement”, Daniels said. “He didn’t back down and I didn’t back down”. “I’ll leave it at that”.

“Hopefully he can bounce back and be back in the lineup tomorrow”, catcher Russell Martin said. Stroman held the line until the top of the eighth, then gave up a single to DeShields and gave way to Brett Cecil. During the season, Beltre, Moreland, Choo and Prince Fielder had the four highest OPS’s, yet those players are a combined 3-for-20. He started the 14th and was charged with two runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning.

“No, no, we saw them early in the year”, he said. Delino DeShields then beat out an infield single off Liam Hendriks to drive in Gimenez.

Stroman left with a 4-3 lead after yielding a leadoff single to DeShields in the eighth. The last one came in 2014 in Philadelphia when Hamels allowed five runs and 10 hits in six innings of work. He posted mediocre numbers over parts of two seasons with the Twins before being claimed on waivers by Toronto last December.