Napoli starts over Moreland against lefty Price
After spending his last two games of the regular season near the bottom of the Toronto Blue Jays' lineup, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will return to the No. 5 spot for Thursday's ALDS opener against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre.
| Batting | Player | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Revere | LF |
| 2 | Josh Donaldson | 3B |
| 3 | Jose Bautista | RF |
| 4 | Edwin Encarnacion | DH |
| 5 | Troy Tulowitzki | SS |
| 6 | Justin Smoak | 1B |
| 7 | Russell Martin | C |
| 8 | Ryan Goins | 2B |
| 9 | Kevin Pillar | CF |
Tulowitzki, the five-time All-Star acquired by the Blue Jays in July, missed more than three weeks after suffering a cracked right scapula Sept. 12, returning just in time for the final series of the regular season. Though he was bumped to the seventh spot in the lineup for last weekend's series in Tampa Bay, he went 3-for-8 with a pair of doubles in two games against the Rays, prompting manager John Gibbons to move him up a couple slots for the ALDS opener.
Earlier this week, the 30-year-old admitted there's still some discomfort in his shoulder, but he'll probably still relish facing Yovani Gallardo in Game 1 nonetheless. In 28 career plate appearances against the veteran right-hander, Tulowitzki boasts a .407/.429/.667 line with one home run and four doubles.
Rangers manager Jeff Banister, meanwhile, elected to start Mike Napoli at first base in lieu of Mitch Moreland on Thursday afternoon, with his team poised to square off against David Price, one of the game's toughest left-handers.
| Batting | Player | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delino DeShields | CF |
| 2 | Shin-Soo Choo | RF |
| 3 | Adrian Beltre | 3B |
| 4 | Prince Fielder | DH |
| 5 | Mike Napoli | 1B |
| 6 | Josh Hamilton | LF |
| 7 | Elvis Andrus | SS |
| 8 | Rougned Odor | 2B |
| 9 | Robinson Chirinos | C |
Though his production dipped a bit this season, split between Texas and the Boston Red Sox, Napoli posted a .954 OPS with 12 homers in 179 plate appearances against left-handers. Moreland, conversely, owns a career .233/.290/.359 line against southpaws while striking out in 23.5 percent of his trips to the plate.