Rangers-Blue Jays: 3 things to know for Game 5 of the ALDS

In Toronto, their natural habitat, the Blue Jays froze. Then, under the sweltering Texas sun, the Rangers collapsed. Now, following yet another trip through customs, the two division champions will meet for a fifth and final time to decide who gets a shot at the pennant.

After two disappointing performances at home, the Blue Jays clawed their way back behind a stellar start from Marco Estrada, a big swing from Troy Tulowitzki, and an afternoon of offensive gluttony against Derek Holland. The Rangers, meanwhile, seemed destined to end Toronto's magical run as they headed back to Arlington with a two-game series lead, but squandered their home-field advantage with shaky pitching and a lack of offense, fueled, at least partially, by Adrian Beltre's cranky back.

On Wednesday, in front of 50,000 delirious Canadians, all of those storylines will culminate in a nine-inning finale at Rogers Centre, with both teams vying for the same prize: tomorrow. Here are three things to know heading into Game 5 of the ALDS:

THE STRO MUST GO ON

Back in March, when his knee ligaments were intact only by the grace of Dr. James Andrews' scalpel, Marcus Stroman scoffed at medical consensus when he said he would pitch for the Blue Jays in 2015. Seven months later, he might be the best pitcher on the roster, earning the Game 5 starting assignment despite logging just 27 innings this season, a figure outnumbered by his Instagram posts from the last month.

Stroman's brilliance since returning from reconstructive knee surgery - evident for much of Game 2 after a first-inning hiccup - even compelled manager John Gibbons to summon David Price for an unexpected relief appearance in Monday's 8-4 win, forgoing the opportunity to start the former Cy Young winner on five days' rest in Game 5.

Since making his rain-soaked season debut at Yankee Stadium last month, Stroman has crafted a 1.55 ERA in four starts, allowing one home run over that span while routinely avoiding opponents' barrels with a two-seamer evocative of Roy Halladay.

As for his hubris rate? It ranks among the game's elite, too. And it should: the Rangers managed the eighth-worst OPS in the majors against ground-ball pitchers in 2015.

"I'm not scared to say I'm extremely confident," Stroman said Tuesday.

COLE GETS THE CALL

Rather than have right-hander Colby Lewis start Game 4, manager Jeff Banister decided to go with Holland, a left-hander, against a lineup that tormented lefties during the regular season. It wasn't a prescient decision. Holland didn't make it out of the third.

Unfazed by Holland's rough outing, Banister picked left-hander Cole Hamels to start Game 5 over Yovani Gallardo, who allowed two runs in 18 2/3 innings against Toronto this season.

By most objective metrics, of course, Hamels is the better pitcher, limiting runs and baserunners, notching strikeouts, and inducing poor contact at a higher rate than Gallardo throughout their respective careers. Considering Gallardo's success against the Blue Jays, however, Banister may regret subjecting Hamels to Toronto's lineup for a second time in five days.

Of the seven left-handers unfortunate enough to make multiple starts against the Blue Jays this season, all but two endured worse outings the second time around. Three of them failed to pitch past the fifth inning. Danny Duffy threw six innings, but allowed three home runs. Precedent isn't really on Hamels' side.

SILENT SUPERSTARS

Rougned Odor, a 21-year-old, sealed Game 1 with a seventh-inning solo shot. Hanser Alberto, another rookie, delivered the big hit for Texas the following afternoon. In Game 3, Ryan Goins got the Blue Jays on the board by grounding into a double play that allowed Dioner Navarro to scamper home. The next day, Chris Colabello and Kevin Pillar cranked home runs that gave Toronto a sizable lead early in Game 4. Notice a pattern?

The most accomplished (and highest-paid) players in the series have done little of import. The Blue Jays made it out of Arlington with negligible contributions from Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, while Tulowitzki has been silent outside of his pivotal homer in Game 3.

The Rangers, similarly, haven't gotten much from their stars, with Prince Fielder and Josh Hamilton scuffling at the plate and Beltre missing two games with back stiffness.