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Blue Jays-Rangers Preview

May 14, 2016 - 4:29 AM Toronto's starting pitchers have been performing extremely well since the beginning of the month, something the Texas Rangers were made aware of before the Blue Jays came to Arlington for this series.

The trend continued in the opener, and Marco Estrada will try to keep it going when he faces the Rangers on Saturday night.

Blue Jays starters have a 1.59 ERA since May 1, allowing fewer than three earned runs 11 times during that 8-4 stretch. R.A. Dickey pitched eight innings in a 5-0 victory Friday to help Toronto (19-18) toss its second shutout in three games.

Edwin Encarnacion's solo homer and Troy Tulowitzki's two-run shot helped put it away in a three-run eighth.

Estrada (1-2, 2.39 ERA) had an excellent outing in that stretch against the Rangers on May 3, giving up two hits - the first a homer to Rougned Odor on the second pitch of the game - in six innings of Toronto's 3-1, 10-inning home victory.

The right-hander followed that up by allowing one run and three hits in seven innings before getting another no-decision in the Blue Jays' 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.

It marked the fourth time in six starts Estrada has allowed one or no runs, but he's been given eight runs of support in 37 2/3 innings.

''These things happen,'' Estrada said. ''Hopefully it doesn't last very long with anybody."

Estrada is 2-1 with a 1.48 ERA in four career starts against Texas, including a 5-1 victory in Game 3 of last season's ALDS, in which the Blue Jays won the final three games after dropping the first two.

Including that series, Toronto has won seven of eight matchups with Texas (20-16). Colby Lewis pitched well for the Rangers on May 4, allowing three runs and striking out seven in a no-decision as the Blue Jays won 4-3.

It was the second of three straight outings in which Lewis (2-0, 3.20) has pitched seven innings. The right-hander allowed two runs and avoided the loss in Monday's 8-4 defeat to the Chicago White Sox.

"He keeps showing up and being masterful in what he does," manager Jeff Banister said of Lewis. "He pounds the strike zone, he knows where to throw his fastball."

Justin Smoak is 8 for 19 with two homers and two doubles off Lewis, and Jose Bautista also has gone deep twice while drawing 10 walks in their matchups.

Prior to Friday, the Rangers had won five of six while scoring at least four runs in each contest. Their three hits were their fewest since they beat Seattle with one on opening day.

The biggest story Friday was the major league debut of Texas reliever Matt Bush, who seven months ago was released from prison after serving 3 1/2 years for badly injuring a man in an alcohol-related car accident.

Bush, the No. 1 pick of the 2004 draft by San Diego as a shortstop, pitched a perfect ninth.

''I realized I'm not the same person when I drink. I tend to make horrible choices,'' Bush said. ''I don't ever want to be that person again. I like myself today and being sober. I feel like I'm living a dream and I don't ever want this to stop.''