AL Wild Card Game 2s (Rangers at Rays, Blue Jays at Twins)
It’s the 11th hour for Rays and Jays
The Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays will face off today in the AL Wild Card Game 2 at 2:08 p.m. CT. The Lone Stars snagged the first contest yesterday by blanking the Rays, 4-0. Lefty Jordan Montgomery was nails, pitching seven innings of no-run ball.
The Rangers are looking to Nathan Eovaldi in an effort to secure a W in the elimination game. The 33-year-old righty had a solid season for Texas, with a 12-5 record and a 3.63 ERA. However, he struggled mightily in September, going 1-2 over six starts with a 9.30 ERA in 20 1⁄3 innings. The veteran has plenty of postseason experience to draw upon, pitching for the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and 2021.
Unfortunately, it’s do-or-die for the embattled Rays, who must grab a victory on their home turf to keep their 2023 postseason alive. Tampa Bay is handing the ball to Zach Eflin, who last pitched on September 26 and earned the win against the Red Sox. Overall this year, he was 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA. This is Elfin’s second consecutive year in the postseason, as he made 10 appearances out of the bullpen for the Philadelphia Phillies throughout their run in 2022.
You can catch the broadcast at 2:08 p.m. CT on your local ABC station.
The Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays play at Target Field in Minneapolis for Game 2 of the AL Wild Card at 3:38 p.m. CT. The Jays are looking to tie the series at one apiece after the Twins took Game 1, 3-1.
It’s crunch time for the Blue Birds as former Twinkie José Berríos takes the bump for Toronto. The righthander pitched five-and-a-half seasons in Minnesota before being traded to the Blue Jays at the deadline in 2021. La Makina’s (“the machine”) last postseason appearance was actually with the Twins in 2020 during Game 2 of the Wild Card, when he surrendered only one run on two hits over five innings. Minnesota ultimately went on to lose that game and the series to the Houston Astros. The 29-year-old had a good 2023 season as a dependable arm for the Jays, with a 3.65 ERA and .241 opponent batting average in 189 2⁄3 innings.
The Twins finally broke their 18-game postseason losing streak yesterday. Today, they will send veteran Sonny Gray to the mound in an effort to win their first playoff series since 2002, when they beat the Oakland A’s in the ALDS. Gray had a fantastic regular season, going 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA over 184 innings. The righty’s been in the postseason twice, with the A’s in 2013 and the New York Yankees in 2017. His last playoff appearance was a no-decision against the Houston Astros.
You can catch the broadcast at 3:38 p.m. on ESPN.