Rangers opt for rookie Gonzalez over Freeman for ALDS roster

by
Tim Heitman / USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers revealed their 25-man roster for the American League Division Series on Thursday morning, with manager Jeff Banister electing to carry rookie right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez over lefty reliever Sam Freeman for the best-of-five matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Leonys Martin, who logged 95 games for Texas this season but missed almost all of August and September with a broken hamate bone, was also omitted from the roster.

POSITION PLAYERS

Pos Player B/T
C Robinson Chirinos R/R
C Chris Gimenez R/R
1B Mitch Moreland L/L
1B Mike Napoli R/R
2B Rougned Odor L/R
3B Adrian Beltre R/R
SS Elvis Andrus R/R
IF Hanser Alberto R/R
OF Shin-Soo Choo L/L
OF Delino DeShields Jr. R/R
OF Josh Hamilton L/L
OF Drew Stubbs R/R
OF Will Venable L/L
DH Prince Fielder L/R

Though none of Banister's roster decisions were all that shocking, Freeman's omission likely means left-hander Martin Perez, who hasn't made a relief appearance since his rookie campaign in 2012, will work out of the bullpen. Freeman crafted a 3.05 ERA over 54 appearances this season - third-most on the Rangers - but was unlikely to receive much work against Toronto's overwhelmingly right-handed lineup.

PITCHERS

Pos Pitcher Throws
SP Yovani Gallardo RHP
SP Cole Hamels LHP
SP Derek Holland LHP
SP Colby Lewis RHP
CL Shawn Tolleson RHP
RP Jake Diekman LHP
RP Sam Dyson RHP
RP Chi Chi Gonzalez RHP
RP Keone Kela RHP
RP Ross Ohlendorf RHP
RP Martin Perez LHP

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, released their roster Tuesday evening, almost 48 hours ahead of their Game 1 matchup at Rogers Centre. Manager John Gibbons decided to carry 11 pitchers and 14 positions players, notably handing out a bench spot to rookie outfielder Dalton Pompey while omitting left-hander Mark Buehrle and right-hander Drew Hutchison.

POSITION PLAYERS

Pos Player B/T
C Russell Martin R/R
C Dioner Navarro S/R
1B Chris Colabello R/R
1B Justin Smoak S/L
2B Ryan Goins L/R
3B Josh Donaldson R/R
SS Troy Tulowitzki R/R
IF Cliff Pennington S/R
OF Jose Bautista R/R
OF Ezequiel Carrera L/L
OF Kevin Pillar R/R
OF Dalton Pompey S/R
OF Ben Revere L/R
DH Edwin Encarnacion R/R

PITCHERS

Pos Player Throws
SP Marco Estrada RHP
SP R.A. Dickey RHP
SP David Price LHP
SP Marcus Stroman RHP
RP Brett Cecil LHP
RP LaTroy Hawkins RHP
RP Liam Hendriks RHP
RP Aaron Loup LHP
RP Mark Lowe RHP
CL Roberto Osuna RHP
RP Aaron Sanchez RHP

The Digest

Guide to the AL Division Series: Rangers-Blue Jays

by theScore staff
Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Here's everything you need to know about the Toronto Blue Jays' incredible division series win over the Texas Rangers:

BEST OF GAME 5

VIDEOS

PHOTOS

Series at a glance

G1: Rangers 5, Blue Jays 3
G2: Rangers 6, Blue Jays 4
G3: Blue Jays 5, Rangers 1
G4: Blue Jays 8, Rangers 4
G5: Blue Jays 6, Rangers 3

Series Probables

2015 By The Numbers

Team Rangers Blue Jays
REC 88-74 (1st) 93-69 (1st)
RDIFF +18 +221
R 751 891
HR 172 232
RBI 707 852
SB 101 88
OPS .739 .797
ERA 4.24 3.80
WHIP 1.36 1.21
SO 1095 1117
QS 79 84
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