AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Texas Rangers at Toronto Blue Jays 2:37 p.m. Central today, Fox Sports 1

MATCHUPS

The Blue Jays and Rangers have never played each other in the postseason. … Toronto has a slight 204-200 lead in the all-time regular-season series, but the Blue Jays have gone 17-11 over the past four seasons since Texas went to its last World Series. Toronto took two of three at home in June and two of three at Texas in August. … Blue Jays starter David Price has lost all three of his postseason starts against Texas, all for Tampa Bay, including the deciding Game 5 of the AL division series in 2010. In 11 regular-season starts against the Rangers, he is 3-4 with a 5.15 ERA, his highest against any AL opponent. … Yovani Gallardo won both of his starts this season against the Blue Jays, the only Texas victories against them. He threw 132/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits while Toronto batted .136 against him.

BIG PICTURE

RANGERS With first-year Manager Jeff Banister, Texas is back in an AL division series for the first time since 2011, when it made its second consecutive World Series appearance. … The Rangers’ sixth AL West crown was clinched on the final day of the regular season, when they won their 10th consecutive game started by Cole Hamels. … Only four other MLB teams, one other in AL, also made the playoffs the year after having its league’s worst record. The Rangers lost 95 games in 2014. … Texas was 8-16 a month into this season, already 9½ games out of first, and still eight back on Aug. 1, after losing Hamels’ Texas debut after his trade from Philadelphia. … Except for one day tied for first place at 3-3 in the opening days of the season, Texas didn’t lead the division until a 6-5 victory over Houston on Sept. 15 in the 144th game of the season.

BLUE JAYS Toronto was 50-51 after losing to lowly Philadelphia on July 28, the same day General Manager Alex Anthopoulos acquired Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins from the Rockies. Two days later, Price arrived from Detroit, with Anthopoulos capping a busy trade deadline flurry by landing Ben Revere from the Phillies and Mark Lowe from the Mariners. The deals beefed up an already prolific offense, overhauled Toronto’s shaky bullpen, and added a true ace to the top of the rotation. The Blue Jays went 43-18 the rest of the way, undoing a seven-game deficit to overtake the Yankees and win the AL East. … Toronto ended the longest active playoff drought in the majors, a 22-year slump that stretched back to 1993 and the second of Toronto’s consecutive World Series titles. … Toronto led the majors with 891 runs, scoring 127 runs more than the next best offense, the Yankees, who had 764. Texas finished third in the majors with 751 runs.