Blue Jays vs. Rangers is the Major League Baseball series to watch this week

By comparison, the AL West-leading Houston Astros are holding a random draw to select which fans will have the opportunity to purchase post-season tickets. The Rangers are the most unlikely team of any to be in this position.

When the Blue Jays allow at least one home run, they are 39-40, well-matched with the Rangers who are 33-45 when allowing at least one homer.

Texas stayed hot as well by getting a strong contribution from its big-ticket deadline acquisition, as Cole Hamels delivered six innings of two-run ball to notch his first victory as a Ranger in Sunday’s 4-2 decision.

These are big series, but while the wild card is an avenue into the postseason, the Rangers want to take a different route.

The Toronto Blue Jays continued to show baseball why they’ve been the hottest team since the All-Star break. The Los Angeles Angels record is now 63 wins and 61 losses, who are 1.5 games back in the standings.

It was just two weeks ago when it seemed some in the media were turning their noses up at the notion that Josh Donaldson was a serious contender for the American League MVP. The left-hander made a triumphant return from a four-month absence caused by a shoulder strain by holding Seattle to two runs over 6 1-3 innings in a 7-2 win on Wednesday.

The race for the division is tight, but after falling behind the Yankees by eight games on July 28, the Jays have to feel pretty good about their chances. That includes an October 6 matchup versus the Ottawa Redblacks, which would be the same night of an American League wild-card game.

As for the Twins-Rays series, it’s vital to see whether the Twins sustain their performance from the weekend. While the Blue Jays are by far the highest-scoring team in the majors with 670 runs scored, the Rangers are no slouches.

Price, whose winning debut at Rogers Centre was watched by more than 50,000 fans in the stadium and another few million on TV across Canada, will be a Jay only until the end of this season, when he becomes a free agent. As for Texas, winning this series will be important for them to maintain their hold of the 2nd wild card spot.