Texas Rangers Fall to Blue Jays, Game 4 Tomorrow

Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki played through shoulder pain and was the hitting star of Game 3, smacking a three-run homer to become the fourth player in team history to drive in four or more runs in a postseason game.

Donaldson singled to open the sixth and was moved to third on another single from Bautista, ending Perez’s night.

“No stretch of the imagination did we think that this was going to be a ball club that was going to do anything other than what they did [Sunday night] – show up ready to play”, Bannister said. “We’re facing a real good team and that’s going to be extra tough to do”, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told reporters Sunday.

After losing the first two games in Toronto, the Jays faced three must-win contests starting Sunday. We’ve got a confident group of guys, we’ve got another game at home to make something happen. They had returned to Texas for Game 3 with a 2-0 lead and with the expectation that they would close the series out on Sunday night. I think I’ve had stretches over the last three years where I’ve been pretty good as a Blue Jay, and I’ve had stretches where I haven’t been so good.

After consecutive innings without a run, the Rangers finished off the game with two runs in the 14th inning to get the 2-0 series lead. Josh Hamilton’s single in the fifth snapped an 0 for 31 postseason slump…

Estrada allowed the lone Texas run off five hits through 6.1-innings of nearly picture-perfect work to get the win and bring the Blue Jays back into the series.

Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after watching a play from the dugout. 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.

It won’t drum up much outside interest, but the Rangers will be starting lefty Martin Perez, while the Blue Jays will send righty Marco Estrada to the mound. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. “I felt like the first game I swung the bat well, just not (getting) results”, he said. A 10-pitch walk to Encarnacion by reliever Chi Chi Gonzalez loaded the base with no outs. The 29-year-old had a miserable end to his season, posting a 7.62 ERA in his final five starts. A double play limited the damage, but Dioner Navarro still came home to put Toronto ahead.

Holland has stepped up in games of effect before, throwing 8.1 shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the 2011 World Series. 354 on-base percentage. Perez is 3-6 with a 4.46 ERA this season. He’s got a significantly lower ERA than the the Rangers’ pitcher, Martin Perez, so perhaps the Jay’s stand a chance to prevent a sweep. However, Tulowitzki was up next and hit a 3-2 pitch into the first row of the left field seats for a crushing three-run home run.