GDT: Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays (Game 2 of 3) 4:07 PM

Dylan · April 28, 2018

http://i63.tinypic.com/miyngj.png

http://i66.tinypic.com/do80gz.png

http://i65.tinypic.com/11kauxt.png

TORONTO -- The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays will be striving to play better Saturday afternoon after the sloppy opener of a three-game series Friday night.

The Rangers could not hold a 4-0 lead and their sins included two errors, possibly because they were adjusting to the artificial turf of the Rogers Centre, before they were able to defeat the struggling Blue Jays 6-4.

"There were some great throws from our outfielders," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "Not a clean defensive game but good enough to get the win. We were able to make some plays when we needed to."

The Blue Jays helped with some atrocious base running and the transgressions included the slow-footed first baseman Justin Smoak twice being thrown out on the bases, which partly offset his 4-for-4 game.

"Thrown out at third (trying to go first to third on a single in the third inning), that was just a bad mistake on my part," Smoak said. "I thought the ball got slowed down, but I guess it didn't. I'm not the fastest foot anyways so I have to be better at that. I was just trying to get to third base and it wasn't a good play there."

"We didn't help ourselves out on the bases obviously tonight," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "You never really know what happens, but we weren't really good on the bases. That's kind of rare. We didn't play good, it was primarily the base running things. You never know, it might have been costly, but really that was the first game (of the season) that looked like that."

The Blue Jays (14-11) have lost three in a row and six of their past eight. After a solid start to the season, they were jolted back to reality by losing five of seven games to American League East rivals, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

They need to win the next two games against the Rangers to avoid losing their third straight series.

The Rangers (10-17) have won two in a row for the second time this season. The win Friday was their first in the opening game of a series this season, the last team in the majors to do so. They had lost the opener of their eight previous series.

The Rangers will start right-hander Bartolo Colon (0-0, 2.59) against Blue Jays left-hander Jaime Garcia (2-1, 4.57 ERA) on Saturday.

Colon will be making his sixth appearance and fourth start of the season. He has a 2.79 ERA in three starts. In his two starts on the road, he has a 1.32 ERA.

The 44-year-old retired the first 21 batters he faced April 15 at Houston against the Astros before allowing a leadoff walk in the eighth and then a double.

In three starts against the Blue Jays last season, Colon was 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA with both wins coming at the Rogers Centre. He is 7-4 with a 4.68 ERA in 15 career starts at the Rogers Centre.

Garcia has faced the Rangers once in his career, posting his first win for the Blue Jays on April 8 when he allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Blue Jays reliever John Axford was reinstated from the bereavement list Friday and reliever Tim Mayza was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. Mayza had been recalled from the Bisons last Monday when Axford was placed on the list and did not allow a run in two appearances.

Axford allowed two hits and had two strikeouts when he worked the eighth and ninth innings Friday.

Gibbons has been concerned about the heavy workload the bullpen has had early in the season. Starter Marcus Stroman did not help the cause Friday, allowing eight hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings, to go 0-3 with an 8.88 ERA after five starts this season.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/preview?gameId=380428114

Let's Go Blue Jays!

bones10 · April 28, 2018

Morales hasn't been cut yet?

John_Havok · April 28, 2018

Well this team could feast on the fastballs today if they're patient and don't swing at everything. Tis a fastball mashing team against a guy that throws like 85% 2 seamers.