The Blue Jays dominated the Rangers in Thursdays ALDS Game 1. Will they make it a Texas two-step when the two teams meet again Friday afternoon?Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Fridays game, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.Inside the pitching matchupWhen?Happ is on the mound:?One of the least likely 20-game winners in recent memory,?J.A. Happ?signed a three-year, $36 million contract that now looks like the bargain of the offseason. When he was traded from the Mariners to the Pirates last year, Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage had Happ raise his arm slot a bit and take a more direct stride toward home plate.The idea that this increased the velocity on his four-seamer isnt necessarily true. While he now throws 92-93 mph as opposed to 89-90 when he first came up with the Phillies, he was also throwing 92-93 with the Blue Jays in 2014. It has, however, generated more swing-and-misses -- up from 15.9 percent with his fastball in 2014 to 20.5 percent this year -- with better command as well. The raise in arm slot has perhaps added some deception to his delivery.He works away to right-handers with his fastball and goes up or low and away to lefties. He throws both a four-seamer and two-seamer and throws his fastball a lot -- 73 percent of the time. Among qualified starters, only Bartolo Colon and teammate Aaron Sanchez threw a higher rate of fastballs. His secondary pitchers are a slider, curveball and changeup. He throws the curve about only seven times per start but batters hit .137 against it. It could be an effective two-strike option against an aggressive Rangers lineup. -- David SchoenfieldWhen Darvish is on the mound: In his return from Tommy John surgery,?Yu Darvish?was as dominant as before, striking out 132 batters in 100 innings. After returning in late May, he made three starts and then missed five weeks because of neck and shoulder issues, but he was healthy in the second half. In his final outing against the Rays, he fanned 12 in six innings.Darvish has a full arsenal of pitches (including a slider, changeup, curveball, cutter, sinker) but has learned that he can succeed living off a fastball that averaged 93.5 mph -- actually higher average velocity than pre-surgery -- and a deadly slider. He changes speeds effectively with the fastball as he can still dial back and touch 97-98. Batters hit .157 against his slider, right in line with his career mark of .162. Perhaps as a precaution after the surgery, he doesnt throw the slider as much as he did, down from 30 percent to about 20 percent.One thing I dont understand is why he doesnt ditch the cutter. It was an effective pitch for him in 2012, but batters have pounded it ever since -- hitting .333 and slugging .567 against it. Sometimes it seems Darvish simply has too many pitches and likes to use all of them, although he has cut his walk rate from his rookie season. The Rangers were pretty careful with his pitch count as he topped 100 only three times (all in August), but improved efficiency allowed him to go six-plus innings in 11 of his final 13 starts. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightAdrian Beltre. At 37, Beltre had another tremendous season, hitting .300 with 32 home runs and cementing his status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He was also Mr. Clutch, hitting .385/.408/.646 in late and close situations. He has averaged 6.3 WAR per season since joining the Rangers in 2011. What hed love is to get back to the World Series like that first season in Texas -- and win it this time. -- SchoenfieldWhat will decide todays gameJose Bautista has homered in each of the first two games of this postseason, but hes about to face his kryptonite. Hes 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts against Game 2 starter Darvish. On Bautistas career, thats his worst average against any pitcher he has faced at least 15 times.Darvish has succeeded against Bautista by keeping the ball away. He typically throws outside pitches -- those on the outer third of the plate or further outside -- 44 percent of the time against right-handed hitters. Against Bautista, that rate is 60 percent. Bautista hit .175 with a .288 slugging percentage against outside pitches this season. From 2012 to 2015, he hit .250 with a .411 slugging percentage against them.?--?ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win?When Darvish becomes a free agent after next season, hell be looking for a deal that pays him close to $30 million, if not more. Winning Game 2 of the ALDS against lefty Happ would look real good on an already excellent resume. Darvish will need his best effort to beat Torontos 20-game winner, but the Rangers signed him to win games like this. He gave up one run or fewer in three of his past four starts. Who knows how much the four-day layoff hurt the Rangers, but it wont matter all that much if they go down 2-0. -- Jean-Jacques TaylorThe Blue Jays won big Thursday and have 20-game winner Happ starting. Closer Roberto Osuna also probably will be recovered and ready to go. So the Rangers will need a great outing from Darvish or they will be heading to Toronto with their backs to the wall, their toes on the cliff edge and their spouses one finger tap from booking a mid-October trip to Hawaii. Will that pressure help or hurt Darvish? Well see, but Im looking for a closer game than 10-1.?-- Jim CapleWhere the series standsIts not a must-win game for the Rangers, but it feels like a must-win game, as you dont want to go back to Toronto down 2-0 and facing AL ERA leader Aaron Sanchez in Game 3. Bautista has homered in six of his past 13 games, so Darvish will have to figure out how to avoid seeing another Bautista long ball.?--?Schoenfield Nike Shoes Sale . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Discount Nike Shoes . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. https://www.wholesalenikeshoesauthentic.com/ . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. Cheap Nike Shoes Free Shipping . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Wholesale Nike Shoes .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. The NRL has failed to close a damaging rift with clubland after four club chairmen walked out on talks at Rugby League Central on Wednesday.The meeting looked doomed after just 30 minutes when North Queenslands Laurence Lancini, Cronullas Damian Keogh, Canterburys Ray Dibb and Melbournes Bart Campbell all departed.It is thought the move came after the governing body took off the table a proposal to fund clubs 130 per cent of the salary cap from 2018 onwards.The NRL, represented by ARL commission chairman John Grant and chief executive Todd Greenberg, reasoned it should concentrate on the collective bargaining agreement and setting the salary cap before tackling club funding.Its position was there was little point negotiatingg club funding as a proportion of the salary cap while its unknown how much the salary cap will be.ddddddddddddast December the NRL and its clubs agreed in principle to that increased funding in exchange for signing perpetual licences, which would eliminate the possibility of a Super League-style breakaway competition.However clubs have since baulked at proposed terms including that they contribute to a sinking fund which would bail out clubs that go into receivership.The NRLs inability to come to an agreement over the last 11 months has become a source of concern and frustration with some clubs. ' ' '