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Blue Jays pound Rangers to send series back to Toronto

Steve Russell / Toronto Star / Getty

The Blue Jays and Rangers are heading back to Toronto for a sudden-death Game 5. And after using David Price for three innings of relief, the Blue Jays will be entrusting their season with Marcus Stroman in the pivotal winner-take-all.

The league's highest-scoring offense belted three homers, Price and starter R.A. Dickey did enough to hold the Rangers' bats in check, and the Blue Jays forced another game in the American League Division Series with a convincing 8-4 victory in Arlington.

Top Performer: Toronto's offense. The Blue Jays' vaunted lineup woke up in a big way Monday, less than 24 hours after plating five in their Game 3 road win. Chris Colabello, Josh Donaldson, and Kevin Pillar all went deep within the first eight batters of the game to stake Dickey to an early 4-0 lead in the second. Colabello also doubled for the Blue Jays, who scored more runs Monday than the first two games of the series combined.

Starting Pitchers: Through 4 2/3 innings, the story was all about Dickey and his effective start. Manager John Gibbons changed that narrative in a hurry. Gibbons' decision to use Price in relief promises to dominate the circumstances of Monday's win, especially after the left-hander threw 50 pitches to record nine outs - effectively ruling him out for Game 5. Rangers starter Derek Holland, meanwhile, exited after just two innings of Toronto's early barrage.

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO
Dickey 4.2 5 1 1 0 3
Holland 2.0 5 6 6 1 3

Turning point: Though the Blue Jays' big first two innings set the table for the win, the pivotal moment in Monday's victory is without question the decision to use Price in relief - particularly for three innings. Price, who threw 90 pitches over seven innings in last Thursday's series opener, entered the game with a six-run lead and allowed three runs on six hits to earn his first career playoff win. Gibbons told reporters after the game that Price won't be available out of the bullpen for Game 5, a declaration that the lefty himself disputed in his postgame comments.

Up Next: The Blue Jays and Rangers will fight for their seasons Wednesday when Stroman matches up against Cole Hamels in the decisive game. First pitch is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. ET from Rogers Centre.

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