While the first two games of the 2016 major league postseason featured pitching duels and late-inning heroics, Thursday's Game 1 of the AL Division Series between the Blue Jays and Rangers was over early.
The Rangers weren't able to mount a comeback after ace Cole Hamels was rocked for a career postseason-worst seven runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings. The outcome could have been different for Hamels, though, if not for defensive gaffes by Adrian Beltre and Ian Desmond that resulted in four runs for Toronto.
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Instead, the Jays, behind Marco Estrada's gem, took a 1-0 series lead with a 10-1 win Thursday at Globe Life Park. Toronto is two wins away from eliminating the Rangers in the division series for a second consecutive season.
Three takeaways from Toronto's win:
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1. Hamels' end-of-season struggles carried over. The southpaw is the undoubted ace of the Texas rotation, with 15 wins, a 3.32 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 200 2/3 innings during the regular season, but he wasn't good down the stretch, and that trend continued at the wrong time Thursday.
Hamels registered a 6.75 ERA in his final six regular-season starts and walked more than three batters in four of those games. Thursday was no different as he struggled with his command; he allowed six hits and three walks while striking out just one.
2. Jose Bautista punched back. With an RBI single in the third inning and a three-run homer in the ninth that gave Toronto a 10-run lead, Bautista has been a force for the Jays through two postseason games. As far as any fallout from Rougned Odor's punch to Bautista's jaw back in May, the two teams acted with restraint Thursday.
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Fans in Arlington let Bautista hear it in each of his at-bats, but the crowd was quiet after Troy Tulowitzki hit a bases-clearing triple as part of a five-run third inning. Bautista and Odor crossed paths in the seventh as Tulowitzki grounded into a double play, with Bautista sliding into second without incident.
3. Estrada rivals Madison Bumgarner for best pitching performance so far. According to the Game Score metric, Bumgarner's performance (88) was just three points better than Estrada's (85). Estrada was pulled in the bottom of the ninth after allowing a leadoff triple to Elvis Andrus and an RBI groundout to Shin-Soo Choo.
Estrada didn't allow a walk and scattered gave up four hits with six strikeouts. He picked a great time for have the second-longest outing of his career. He'll likely get the call in Game 5, if necessary, in this series.
Highlight
Tulowitzki blew the game wide open with his triple, but Desmond, a shortstop turned outfielder, appeared to pull back as he approached the warning track in center field.
What's next
NLDS Game 1: Dodgers at Nationals, 5:30 p.m. ET Friday — Aces duel as Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 1.69 ERA) takes on Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96 ERA), who hasn't lost since Aug. 9. Nationals All-Stars Bryce Harper (thumb) and Daniel Murphy (buttocks) will play in their first meaningful game since being used sparingly the final two weeks of the regular season.