ARLINGTON, Texas -- Canadians will have something to watch on TV while eating Thanksgiving leftovers on Monday. The Toronto Blue Jays are still alive in the postseason. After losing the first two games at home, Toronto came back in Game 3 to beat the Texas Rangers on the road behind a strong start by Marco Estrada in a 5-1 victory.
Estrada has been among the toughest starters to hit this season -- he had the lowest opponents’ batting average in the American League (.203) and the lowest BABIP in all of baseball (.217) -- and he came through against the Rangers, holding them scoreless and to three hits during the first six innings. He didn’t allow a runner to get past second base until the seventh, when the Rangers finally pushed across a run after Estrada had left the mound.
Toronto scored far more runs than anyone else in the majors this season, but the Blue Jays didn’t hit well in the first two games. On Sunday, the Jays took a 2-0 lead with a run in the third and another in the fourth but still were coming up short in big situations. They hit into three double plays with runners on third base until Troy Tulowitzki finally broke things open with a three-run homer with two outs in the sixth inning.
The victory was the first in a postseason for Toronto since Joe Carter homered in Game 6 to capture the 1993 World Series. The Blue Jays are trying to become just the third team to win a best-of-five postseason series after losing the first two games at home.
Thumbs up: Tulowitzki broke his 0-for-postseason with a decisive two-out, three-run homer in the sixth to put Toronto ahead 5-0. He also walked with the bases loaded to force in a run in the fourth inning and singled in the eighth. Tulo had been hitless in 11 at-bats this series before the home run.
Thumbs down: How about thumbs sideways for a lineup that still could use a few more big hits in the clutch if Toronto wants to win this series? The Blue Jays hit into four double plays, two them involving runners on third base getting thrown out.
What’s Next: For Game 4 on Monday, the Blue Jays will start R.A. Dickey (11-11, 3.91, but 8-1 with 2.80 ERA in the second half), who will make his first postseason appearance just weeks shy of his 41st birthday. The Rangers will counter with Derek Holland. Dickey started his career in Texas and says that hot, dry weather (and it’s supposed to be very hot for his start) helps his knuckleball.