Marco Estrada (1-2, 2.92 ERA) and Martin Perez (1-2, 4.20 ERA) take the hill in the second of a four-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays (12-15) and the Texas Rangers (15-11) at the Rogers Centre. The Rangers won the last game 2-1, and Texas leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:07 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May. 3 and can be seen on FSSW and RSN1.
Estrada pitched 6.2 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking four in a 4-0 defeat to the White Sox. Josh Donaldson (.291, 26 Rs, 9 HRs, 21 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Perez went 6.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out three and walking two in a 3-2 win over the Yankees in his last outing. Nomar Mazara (.333, 11 Rs, 3 HRs, 9 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Rangers, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
The odds for Toronto and Texas are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Blue Jays have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Toronto’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Blue Jays, who rank fourth in the AL in strikeouts per home game with 7.0.
Offensively, the Rangers have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. Moving on to Texas’s pitching staff and defense, the Rangers allow just two runs per road game, ranking them fourth in the AL.
The Rangers have the edge in the season series, 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – TEX
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Texas is 7-6, while Toronto is 3-9.
The Rangers managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Blue Jays who are heading in with a 6-8 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Blue Jays are 8-2. The Rangers have a 10-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 13th in runs, Toronto has earned 106 this season. Texas ranks ninth with 114 runs.
Ranking 23rd, Texas is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 69 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at fourth with 98.
The Blue Jays are 9-9 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Rangers are 10-8 when they hit at least one homer.
