MLB Game Preview - Texas at Toronto

Tue Aug 13, 2019 7:07 PM EDT

It was a study in contrasts for the Toronto Blue Jays over the past two days, while the visiting Texas Rangers stayed in a familiar rut when the teams played the opener of a three-game series Monday night.

After losing 1-0 to the New York Yankees on Sunday, the Blue Jays swamped the Rangers 19-4 on Monday. It matched the third-highest run total in a game in club history and was the most since they beat the Tampa Bay Rays 20-11 on June 25, 2011. The loss gave the Rangers a 2-5 record on their nine-game road trip.

The Blue Jays would like the trend to continue Tuesday in the second game of the series and, of course, the Rangers do not.

It was the second time the Rangers have allowed 19 runs this season. The other time was July 17 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Rangers, who beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 Sunday, have lost five of their past six games. While Toronto improved to 16-15 since the All-Star break, Texas is 11-17 in the same span.

The Rangers have scored just 14 runs in the first seven games of their trip.

"I don't like seeing our guys struggle," said Rangers manager Chris Woodward, who is a former Blue Jays player. "That's concerning. I know that it's part of the game. The only concerning aspect I would have is if I don't see adjustments we've made to what's happening, and if we're just going to hope that things get better, because that's what our old-school mentality tells us -- we'll get out of it eventually."

Right-hander Lance Lynn (14-7, 3.60 ERA) will start Tuesday for the Rangers, and the Blue Jays will send out left-hander Thomas Pannone (2-5, 6.83).

Lynn is 1-2 with a 6.11 ERA in six career games (five starts) against the Blue Jays. He earned his first career victory against them May 4 at Arlington, Texas, an 8-5 Rangers win in which he allowed eight hits, five walks and five runs in six innings. His only career start at the Rogers Centre was a 3-1 loss June 6, 2014 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pannone's only career outing against the Rangers was May 4, when he started against Lynn. In 2 1/3 innings, Pannone allowed seven runs, five hits and three walks. This will be his 29th appearance and seventh start this season.

While the Blue Jays were circling the bases Monday -- with Brandon Drury hitting his first career grand slam in a five-RBI game and Bo Bichette enjoying his first career four-hit game -- they were without shortstop Freddy Galvis.

Galvis was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, and outfielder Billy McKinney was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.

Galvis was a favorite of Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo. But the emergence of Bichette since making his major league debut two weeks ago was going to change how Galvis would be used.

"Personally, I love professionals like that," Montoyo said. "He's going to go play every day at short where he belongs; he doesn't have to be a utility guy. That's good for him, but we're going to miss him. That's a fact. I'm going to miss him. He became a friend, too. I loved everything that he did in that clubhouse."

The Reds did not say immediately how they would use Galvis.

--Field Level Media