(The Sports Xchange) – Marco Estrada allowed four hits in 8 1/3 innings and the Toronto Blue Jays battered Cole Hamels for seven runs and took Game 1 of the American League Division Series 10-1 Thursday. Toronto, which eliminated the Rangers in the ALDS last year, will look to take a 2-0 lead Friday in Arlington. The Rangers are now 1-10 in ALDS games in Arlington.
Estrada gave up a first-inning single to Adrian Beltre and then retired 12-straight Rangers before Elvis Andrus opened the sixth with a single to center. Estrada struck out six, didn’t walk a batter and threw just 98 pitches. His start was the longest in Toronto postseason history. Estrada was pitching with a big cushion as the Jays jumped on Hamels for five runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth, ending his start after just 3 1/3 innings.
Josh Donaldson’s liner skimmed off Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre’s glove to bring in the first run in the third. Two batters later, Jose Bautista’s single pushed the lead to 2-0. After Hamels walked Russell Martin to load the bases, Troy Tulowitzki cleared them with a three-run triple to right-center. Toronto, which finished with 13 hits, wasn’t done hammering Hamels. Melvin Upton Jr. hammered a leadoff homer in the fourth before Donaldson ended Hamels’ day with an RBI single. Hamels walked three and allowed six hits in his second-shortest outing of the season. Bautista punctuated the scoring with a long three-run homer in the ninth.
Donaldson had four hits, a walk, an RBI and scored twice. Bautista had two hits and four RBIs and Tulowitzki had three hits.
Andrus had two of the four Texas hits and scored the lone run in the ninth inning after a leadoff triple.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue)
Reuters
