Blue Jays to bottle up Rangers tonight?
R.A. Dickey’s first month-plus of the season hasn’t gone as planned. Of course, the same could be said for the entire Toronto team.
John Gibbons’ gang continues its search for that mixing elixir in tonight’s series opener against Texas, with an 8:05 p.m. ET first pitch at Globe Life Park. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI currently lean toward the visiting group. The Rangers, meanwhile, represent +117 underdogs.
The Blue Jays generated just enough offense to take two of three from San Francisco earlier in the week, even though key batters continue to endure hard times. Reigning American League MVP Josh Donaldson has registered one extra-base hit in the past 10 contests. Perennial 40-homer guy Jose Bautista enters this affair with a paltry .208 average. Then there’s Russell Martin, who’s mired in a 1-for-19 slump.
The veteran catcher is actually expected to get the evening off, meaning the responsibility of handling Dickey (1-4, 5.18 ERA) falls to Josh Thole. Toronto’s knuckleballer last captured a victory on April 4. Nonetheless, he has a knack for rising to the occasion against the Rangers. Not only did Dickey perform ably in Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS in Arlington, the 41-year-old veteran held Texas to one run over 6 1/3 innings barely a week ago.
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On the other side, manager Jeff Banister turns to Martin Perez (1-2, 3.51). The southpaw will face Toronto at home for the first time. He’s clearly comfortable in the Lone Star State, though, going 4-0 with a 2.39 in his last eight outings there.
In terms of individual standouts with the lumber, look no further than the Rangers’ Ian Desmond. The shortstop’s raking at a .379 clip during a seven-game hitting streak and could put Perez over the top this evening. Either way, however, we need to see more consistency out of these outfits before recommending an all-out offensive bash.
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