Tomorrow morning the AL East division winners Toronto Blue Jays begin their playoff quest as they host the AL West division Texas Rangers in game 1 of the best of 5 ALDS.
2015 ALDS Game 1 – Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays finished the regular season with a 93-69 record and the AL East crown. They topped the 2nd place New York Yankees by 6 games. They had a 53-28 home record and a 40-41 road record. As a team they scored 891 runs in the regular season, 1st in MLB. They batted .269, 2nd in MLB. Their on-base percentage was .340, 1st in MLB. Their slugging percentage was .457, 1st in MLB. 3rd baseman Josh Donaldson led the team in batting average with a .297 average, led the team in home runs with 41, and led the team in runs batted in with 123. He also led the team in runs scored with 122 and hits with 184. He set single-season career highs in home runs, rbis, runs, and hits. This is his 1st season with Toronto. Right-fielder Jose Bautista led the team in on-base percentage with a .377 average. He batted .250 with 40 home runs and 114 runs batted in. He scored 108 runs and has 136 hits on the season. This season was the 3rd time he has hit 40 or more home runs. This is the 2nd season of his career in which he has driven in 114 or more runs. Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion batted .277 with 39 home runs and 111 runs batted in. He scored 94 runs with 146 hits. He walked 77 times and struck out 98 times. His rbi total was a career-high. He has hit 34 or more home runs in his last 4 seasons. Catcher Russell Martin batted .240 with 23 home runs and 77 runs batted in. He scored 76 runs and had 106 hits on the season. This season he set single-season career highs in home runs and rbis. This is his first season with Toronto.
On the mound for the Jays in game 1 is left-handed ace David Price. Price had a 18-5 record with a 2.45 era. He struck out 225 batters in 220.1 innings pitched. He made 32 starts this season. He pitched 3 complete games. After coming over in a trade from Detroit he was 9-1 in 11 starts. In his last start, a win on September 26th at home versus the Rays, he pitched 5 innings while allowing 4 earned runs on 6 hits. He struck out 6 batters and walked 1. He threw 95 pitches in the game.
The Texas Rangers finished the regular season with a 88-74 record and the AL West crown. They topped the 2nd place Houston Astros by 2 games. They had a 43-38 home record and a 45-36 road record. As a team they scored 751 runs in the regular season, 3rd in MLB. They batted .257, 10th in MLB. Their on-base percentage was .325, 6th in MLB. Their slugging percentage was .413, 9th in MLB. Designated hitter Prince Fielder led the team in batting average with a .305 average, led the team in home runs with 23, led the team in runs batted in with 98, led team in on-base percentage with a .378 average, and led the team in hits with 187. This was the 9th season of his career in which he hit 23 or more home runs. This is 2nd season with Texas. 1st baseman Mitch Moreland batted .278 with 23 home runs and 85 runs batted in. He had 131 hits and 51 runs scored. The 23 home runs tied his career high, set first in 2013. His rbi total was career-high. His batting average of .278 was his career-high. Right-fielder Shin-Soo Choo batted .276 with 22 home runs and 82 runs batted in. He had 153 hits and 94 runs scored. The 22 home runs tied his career-high, set first in 2010. He has 4 seasons in his career where he’s hit 20 or more home runs. He has also played for the Mariners, Indians, and Reds. This is his 2nd season with the Rangers. 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre batted .287 with 18 home runs and 83 runs batted in. He had 163 hits and 83 runs scored. In 14 of his 18 seasons in the majors has hit 18 or more home runs. In his career he has also played for the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox. This is his 5th season with the Rangers.
On the mound for the Rangers in game 1 is right-handed Yovani Gallardo. Gallardo had a 13-11 record with a 3.42 era. He struck out 121 batters in 184.1 innings pitched. He made 33 starts this season. In his last start, a win on September 30th at home versus Detroit, he pitched 5.1 innings while allowing 2 earned runs on 9 hits. He struck out 5 batters and walked 1. He threw 90 pitches in the game. He is 1-2 in his last 5 starts.
Toronto and Texas met 6 times this season, with the Blue Jays winning 4 of them.
Prediction: I think the Blue Jays are ready to make a serious run at the World Series trophy and it starts with game 1 versus a surprisingly successful young Rangers team. I like David Price in the pitching match-up.
Take the Blue Jays 1.80 (Bet365)
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