Martin Perez (3-6, 4.46 ERA) and the Texas Rangers take on Marco Estrada (13-8, 3.13 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the Divisional Playoffs at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won the last game 6-4, and Texas leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 11 and can be seen on FS1.
Perez pitched 7.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out four and walking one in a 2-1 defeat to the Angels. Rougned Odor (.261, 59 Rs, 17 HRs, 62 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 5 Friday with two runs. Estrada went 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs and striking out nine in a 4-3 defeat to the Rays in his most recent start. Josh Donaldson (.295, 123 Rs, 42 HRs, 124 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 6 Friday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Toronto takes on Texas as a -123 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at nine runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +2,979 and a record as the underdog of 59-55. The Rangers have no trouble scoring as they rank fourth in the AL in home offense with 5.0 runs per game.
In the other locker room, Toronto is coming in with an overall money line of +979 and an impressive record of 72-37 as the favorite. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 5-1 record and a 6-4 record SU. Offensively, they average 5.5 runs per game, which the best in the AL. The Blue Jays are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the AL with 9.1 hits per game. Toronto is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.5 per game. The Blue Jays allow 4.1 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 5.4 runs per game during that span.
The Rangers have a 54-44 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Estrada takes the mound. Perez (LHP) will be on the hill against the Blue Jays, who have a 20-15 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rangers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Blue Jays have a 27-31 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Blue Jays, as the Rangers have won their last three games while the Blue Jays have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rangers are 66-10. The Blue Jays have a 76-10 record when outhitting opponents.
Toronto tops the league in runs with 898 this season. Texas ranks in the top five at third with 762.
Toronto tops the league in walks with 573 this season. Texas ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 510.
When the Rangers hit at least one home run, they are 66-32, well-matched with the Blue Jays who are 83-40 when hitting one or more homers.
