The Blue Jays and Rangers kicked off their much-anticipated NLDS matchup on Thursday. Now we're set for Game 2 on Friday back at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Here are the essentials ...

Day/Time: Friday, Oct. 7, 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: TBS
Live streaming: Either TBS.com or MLB.tv (full details are in those links)

We've already previewed the entire series in-depth, so those interested in a deep dive should go check it out. As for Game 2, let's run down the pitching match-ups ...

J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.18) vs. Rangers

The left-handed Happ makes his first postseason appearance since 2009 and second overall. After making late-season adjustments in Pittsburgh last season, Happ's improvement stuck in 2016, as he pitched to a 134 ERA+ in a career-high 195 innings. The Jays raised a few eyebrows this past winter when they inked Happ, age 33, to a $36 million deal, but thus far it's working out nicely.

From the "for what it's worth" department, Happ this season has an ERA of 3.43 on the road and an ERA of 2.94 in the second half. This season, Happ made one start against Texas -- back in May -- and he worked 7.0 innings, allowing one run on six hits with five strikeouts and one walk. As for Rangers' offensive tendencies, they've been pretty much equally effective against lefties and righties this season.

Yu Darvish (7-5, 3.41) vs. Blue Jays

Darvish didn't make his 2016 debut until late May because of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and later he spent time on the disabled list with shoulder discomfort. As such, Darvish was limited to just 100 1/3 innings this season. That said, on a rate basis Darvish has been quite effective, as he's pitched to a 133 ERA+ with a career-best 4.26 K/BB ratio. As well, he remains one of the most elite bat-missers in the game today. While he fell short of qualifying status in 2016, his K% -- strikeouts as a percentage of batters faced -- of 31.7 percent would've ranked second in all of baseball this season. At a fundamental level, Darvish remains a dominator.

On an individual level, Darvish has faced four Blue Jay hitters at least 20 times in his career: Justin Smoak, Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, and Edwin Encarnacion. Of those, only Encarnacion has had success against Darvish. In 20 PAs against the right-hander, Encarnacion has put up an OPS of 1.138 with two homers.

Darvish this season has a 4.26 ERA at home (versus a 2.28 mark on the road). As well, his K/BB ratio has been modestly weaker at home in 2016.

Needless to say, the Rangers need a win in this one as they get set to hit the road for Game 3.