Holland rocked by Jays, game five Wednesday

The Toronto Blue Jays possess the most potent offense in baseball right now, and it did not take long for them to break it open on Monday in game four. They scored seven runs in the first three innings to go up 7-0 and rode their early momentum to an 8-4 win to force a winner take all game five in Toronto. Derek Holland lasted just two innings and took the loss while David Price, who came on in relief of starter R.A. Dickey, picked up the win.

In the first, Josh Donaldson, who is public enemy #1 in Arlington right now, launched a two run shot with Ben Revere on base to give the Jays a quick 2-0 lead. Chris Colabello followed suit three batters later as he hit a solo shot to right to give the Jays a 3-0 lead. In the second, Kevin Pillar hit one 416 feet to left center to give the Jays a 4-0 lead and you just knew it was one of those days that Toronto’s bats were hot and there was little you could do about it. Only thing hotter were the temperatures in Arlington, reaching into the 90’s. Something you’d expect for a June series but not a playoff series.

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In the third, of new pitcher Colby Lewis, the Jays showed they could play some small ball as Edwin Encarnacion brought Donaldson in on a fielder’s choice, Colabello doubled to left to score Encarnacion and then Pillar singled to score Colabello. After three innings, it was all but over.

Texas got on the board in the bottom of the third as Shin-Soo Choo came in on a wild pitch. After that neither team scored again until the top of the seventh when Pillar brought Russell Martin home on an RBI single. In the bottom of the inning Robinson Chirinos singled to score Rougned Odor; in the eighth Mitch Moreland brought Choo in on an RBI groundout and Elvis Andrus singled to score Fielder to make it 8-4 as the rally fell short. Choo picked up three of the Rangers 11 hits and scored two runs in the game. Despite the score being what it was, the Jays only got one more hit than the Rangers (12-11).

The starters in game five will be Cole Hamels and Marcus Stroman, both of whom started in game two. Neither picked up a decision in the contest as the Rangers won in 14 innings. First pitch will be at 3:07 PM CT.