Last Updated on October 9, 2016 9:39 pm by Brad Burns
Texas tries to avoid sweep at hands of Toronto
With their worries about lefty Francisco Liriano alieved, the Blue Jays can now return to the primary business at hand: knocking the Rangers out of the postseason.
The two clubs meet again tonight, with a 7:30 p.m. ET first pitch at Rogers Centre. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the hosts odds of -190 to complete a clean ALDS sweep. Jeff Banister’s bunch, on the other hand, represents a +170 underdog. The over/under run total holds steady at nine.
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On Friday, Liriano was struck in the back of the head by a liner off the bat of Texas outfielder Carlos Gomez. While Toronto went on to claim the win, the health status of Liriano assumed first priority. Doctors later diagnosed him with a concussion, and he reportedly responded well to follow-up tests.
Skipper John Gibbons is currently working around an injury to one of his key position players, too. Second baseman Devon Travis missed Game 2 due to a sore right knee. The Blue Jays’ sparkplug at the top of the order won’t take the field shortly, either, having received a cortisone shot.
Such personnel losses put the onus on starter Aaron Sanchez (15-2, 3.00 ERA) to deliver a gem. In a pair of outings against the Rangers this year, however, the first-time All-Star went 0-0 with a 5.93 ERA in 13 2/3 innings. He endured a particularly tough outing on May 15, surrendering six runs across 6 2/3 frames at Globe Life Park.
The AL West champions answer with Colby Lewis (6-5, 3.71), who has experienced his own trouble with Toronto. He’s 3-6 with a 6.17 ERA in 13 career appearances vs. the class of the East Division. Most recently, though, Lewis allowed no earned runs during an extended assignment vs. Tampa Bay.
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Logic suggests an offensive bonanza in the Great White North. Still, the feast-or-famine approach adopted by both of these squads makes us leery of forecasting a double-digit score. Bank on the Blue Jays to advance to the next round in a tight one.
SUNDAY MLB FREE PICK: RANGERS/BLUE JAYS UNDER 9 RUNS