Tuesday 19th March 2024

The Toronto Blue Jays are the first team to reach the American League Championship Series following their three-game sweep of the Rangers.

Josh Donaldson raced to the plate on a throwing error by second baseman Rougned Odor in the bottom of the 10th to give the Jays a 7-6 victory over Texas. Odor was trying to complete an inning-ending double play when he bounced his throw to first, allowing Donaldson to take off. Donaldson led off the 10th with a double after delivering an RBI double in the third inning.

It was the second run-scoring miscue by the Rangers, who also allowed Troy Tulowitzki  to come home on a passed ball by Jonathan Lucroy in the sixth.

The Blue Jays rallied after squandering a 5-2 lead. Edwin Encarnacion  smacked a two-run homer and Russell Martin added a solo shot in the bottom of the first for Toronto’s 3-1 lead. Encarnacion’s RBI single in the third put the Blue Jays ahead by three, but the Rangers surged on top on Odor’s two-run homer in the fourth and a two-run double by Mitch Moreland in the sixth.

Elvis Andrus also homered for the Rangers, who were knocked out in the division series by the Jays for the second consecutive year.

Roberto Osuna worked two perfect innings of relief to get the victory. Matt Bush struck out five over 2 2/3s but took the loss.

The Washington Nationals have earned a split of the first two games in their National League Division series with the Dodgers before the two teams headed to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Monday.

Jose Lobaton and Daniel Murphy sparked the Nats’ attack in a 5-2 comeback win over the Dodgers. Los Angeles owned a 2-0 lead until Lobaton launched a three-run homer with two outs in the fourth off loser Rich Hill. Murphy added a pair of RBI singles and was 3-for-3 to help the Nationals overcome a shaky outing by starter Tanner Roark.

Washington’s bullpen came through with 4 2/3 scoreless innings after Roark was reached for two runs, seven hits and three walks. The Dodgers didn’t get a hit against Nationals relievers until Justin Turner’s one-out single in the ninth off Mark Melancon, who picked up the save.

Corey Seager homered in the top of the first for the second straight game, but the Dodgers were unable to hold the lead after posting a 4-3 victory in the opener on Friday.

Game 3 will have rookie Kenta Maeda on the mound for the Dodgers against Nats lefty Gio Gonzalez.

The Indians and Red Sox were rained out for Game 3 of their American League Division Series in Boston. Both managers are leaving their rotations intact, with Cleveland’s Josh Tomlin starting the makeup game Monday against Clay Buchholz of the Bosox.

The Indians took the first two games of the series in Cleveland, winning the opener Thursday before posting a 6-0 shutout on Friday.

The kernals

 

 

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