Tulowitzki’s three-run home run keeps Blue Jays alive

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki snapped out of a postseason slump with a three-run home run to keep his team alive with a 5-1 win against the Texas Rangers.

Tulowitzki had gone 0-for-11 with a walk before his home run to left field busted a 2-0 game wide open in the top of the sixth inning.

The Rangers now lead the best-of-five American League Division Series 2-1 with Game Four back in Texas on Monday.

Tulowitzki joined the Blue Jays in a trade with the Colorado Rockies in late July. But he missed three weeks last month after he suffered a shoulder injury in an on-field collision with teammate Kevin Pillar. He returned for a few games at the end of the regular season.

“I haven’t been swinging the bat the greatest,” Tulowitzki said. “I was trying to put a good swing on it and obviously had the count in my favor and got a good pitch (change up) to hit.

“I’m still battling it,” he said afterwards with a huge ice pack on his left shoulder.

This was the Blue Jays’ first postseason win since they won the second of their back-to-back World Series championships in 1993.

Elsewhere, Dallas Keuchel’s perfect performance in Houston this year has the upstart Astros one win away from the American League Championship Series.

Keuchel remained undefeated at Minute Maid Park with seven gutsy innings and Chris Carter homered Sunday, leading the Astros to a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals to take a 2-1 lead in their Division Series.