Blue Jays lose Game 1 of ALDS to Texas Rangers
Toronto's pitching ace David Price surrenders 2 home runs in 5-3 loss
Robinson Chirinos hit a two-run homer against David Price, Rougned Odor had a solo shot and the Texas Rangers beat the Blue Jays 5-3 Thursday in an AL Division Series opener as postseason baseball returned to Toronto for the first time in 22 years.
Both starting third baseman left with injuries: Texas' Adrian Beltre in the third with a sore lower back and Toronto's Josh Donaldson in the fifth after he was kneed in the head while sliding in an attempt to break up a double play.
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Donaldson felt light-headed while playing defense in the top of the fifth, forcing the AL MVP candidate to come out of the game.
"They check for concussions, and apparently he passed all the tests. So that's good news," Gibbons said.
Yovani Gallardo (1-0) allowed two runs and four hits in five innings, improving to 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in four career starts against Toronto. Keone Kela, Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson finished, with Dyson getting a save.
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Pitching on 11 days' rest, Price (0-1) allowed five runs and five hits in seven innings. He dropped to 1-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 11 postseason games, including six starts.
"I expect to have better results," a subdued Price said.
Gibbons said Price was the victim of timely hits by the Rangers.
"He wasn't getting hit around. It was just a couple of key hits at some key times that made the difference," Gibbons said.
Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista hit a solo homer in the sixth, then left with a sore right hamstring after popping out in the eighth. Dalton Pompey took over in right field. The Blue Jays said Bautista is expected to play Friday.
Delino DeShields and Beltre hit RBI singles to give Texas a 2-0 lead in the third.
Edwin Encarnacion's run-scoring infield single cut the deficit in half in the fourth — the first run Toronto scored off Gallardo in three meetings this season.
Price hit Odor with a pitch for the second straight at-bat, and Chirinos homered for a 4-1 lead.
Kevin Pillar doubled home Russell Martin in the bottom half, but Toronto left a runner at third when pinch-hitter Ezequiel Carerra, batting in Donaldson's spot, hit an inning-ending groundout. Cliff Pennington took over defensively in the sixth.
Bautista's leadoff homer off Kela cut it to 4-3 in the sixth — the first off the pitcher since July 30. Odor homered in the seventh.
Cito Gaston, who managed the Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to veteran left-hander Mark Buehrle, who is not on Toronto's playoff roster.
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