Gibbons could send Price to mound in Game 4

Estrada (13-8 with a 3.13 ERA) led the majors by holding opponents to hitting.

The Blue Jays were flying high at the time of the Tampa photo shoot, partying their way into the playoffs after a 22-year absence.

Their demise was brief but ominous. He has a homer and has scored five runs in the two games. In the 7th inning, the Royals would take the lead for good.

As for Tulowitzki, the home run was his first hit of the 2015 post-season, snapping a 0-for-11 drought.

“It’s not relief yet”, he said.

Salvation and another game set to go Monday afternoon.

Before Tulowitzki delivered, the Jays had squandered three splendid scoring opportunities in consecutive innings. However, it would be Jacob deGrom who would walk away with the win, as the Mets took game one 3-1.

Tulowitzki, then 0 for 11 in the series, followed with his homer on a full-count pitch.

“I’d hate to think where we’d be without him”, manager John Gibbons said. “Something we talked about today …”

The Blue Jays said Bautista is expected to play Friday.

Estrada did what he nearly always does. On Sunday, he struck out four and walked none in 6 1/3 innings.

Added catcher Dioner Navarro: “Outstanding”. “It’s definitely not a hundred percent – I said that at the beginning of the series, but good enough to go, good enough to play”.

Navarro: “He uses all of his pitches”. I believe he overthought that one. “We were kind of bummed out about that, but we kept our heads up”. He keeps the hitters off-balance.

Not all of it is just good and bad luck, of course. He retired the first eight batters of the game before Hanser Alberto hit a two-out double in the bottom of the third.

Although the Rangers lineup boasts big-time names such as Shin-Soo Choo, Prince Fielder and Josh Hamilton, it is second baseman Rougned Odor that has made the most noise. “That’s right. David “#sobad in the playoffs” Price dominated in a postseason environment.

History was not on Toronto’s side going into Sunday’s game. The Rangers will start left-hander Derek Holland in Game 4.

“He wasn’t getting hit around”.

That changed in Game 3. Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion have a combined five homers and nine extra-base hits off Holland in 55 career at-bats. “It was just a couple of key hits at a few key times that made the difference”, Gibbons said. What’s more, he has never faced the Blue Jays before. The Jays fell 5-3 and 6-4 at home against the Rangers and Estrada knows what is at stake.

Debate swirled over which Toronto pitcher would get the nod in the crucial fourth game. At the same time, Perez lost the sharp command that carried him through the early innings. He gave up seven earned runs in 3.1 innings.

Toronto doubled the advantage in the fourth when Tulowitzki drew a run-batted-in walk.

Gibbons removed Estrada with one out and runners on second and third with one out.

Another big chance died in the next inning. Delino DeShields then beat out an infield single off Liam Hendriks to drive in Gimenez. A sac-bunt put Pillar on third.

Offensively, the Rangers turned *four* double plays to help shut down the Jays, who stranded five on the evening. “So this was huge for us”. Las Vegas odds makers had Toronto listed as a big favorite to win this series, and they have been favored in the each of the first two games. Guys are having fun and we’re enjoying being around each other. Through the opening five innings they held a 2-0 lead but had already hit into three double plays.