Rangers, Jays Kick Off Homestand

Last time the Texas Rangers met the Toronto Blue Jays, the Jays were red-hot, leading the AL East and effectively abusing Texas’ then-struggling rotation, tallying 12 runs in 17 innings against the Rangers’ rotation.
 
Scott Feldman struggled through 1 2/3 innings in the second game of that series, and 8-7 loss on April 22.
 
A lot has changed since then. Feldman has become a somewhat-surprising cog in the Rangers rotation since then, posting a 2.63 ERA and going 5-0 as a starter. His 3.79 ERA on the season is pretty impressive considering this mark was a bloated 12.15 when he left the bullpen to replace Kris Benson.
 
Outside of that, Texas got hot, staking a comfortable lead in the west, winning with defense and pitching. Toronto has gone in the opposite direction, somewhat, sliding into third in the ultra-competitive East.
 
That does not mean that Toronto still doesn’t present a vaguely-staggering test for Texas.
 
The Jays are hitting .280 as a team, tied for second-best in the Major Leagues. Their 4.27 ERA is good enough for fifth in the American League, four spots ahead of Texas, whose team ERA is a respectable (and kind of surprising) 4.56.
 
Toronto got the better of a nine-game home-stand with a 4-0 win over slumping Kansas City on Sunday. Texas took two of three from Boston at Fenway this weekend.
 
While there’s no reason to think Texas can’t win the series, Toronto will test Texas in what could eventually be a crucial series in the context of the season as a whole. Los Angeles just got back starter Kelvim Escobar, and sit 3.5 games back as the week begins.
 
The home-stand will likely be a defining one; Texas is on the back end of what is arguably the toughest stretch they will face all season. After doing battle with Toronto, the Rangers will welcome the Dodgers to town from Los Angeles, owners of the best record baseball.
 
The Rangers and Blue Jays will begin a four-game set Monday night in Arlington, first pitch at 7:05 p.m. CT.