Cleveland @ Toronto preview
Rogers Centre
Last Meeting ( Jul 30, 2010 ) Cleveland 1, Toronto 8
The Toronto Blue Jays might only need two men to beat the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.
Brett Cecil looks to continue his career dominance against the Indians as he leads the Blue Jays into the second of a three-game series at the Rogers Centre. The Jays are looking for their fifth consecutive victory while the Indians have lost six of their last seven games.
Toronto opened the series with emphasis, riding Jose Bautista's third career grand slam to an 8-1 victory Friday night. The homer was Bautista's major league-leading 31st of the season, and gave him five homers and 13 RBIs in his last six games.
After a solid first half earned Bautista his first career All-Star appearance, the 29-year-old has been even more sensational in the second half. Bautista is hitting .397 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 14 games after the break, making him the odds-on favorite to take home American League Player of the Month honors for July.
As Bautista aims to resume his hot streak Saturday afternoon, Cecil (8-5) would like to remain one of the Indians' toughest opponents. The 24-year-old left-hander is 1-0 with a 0.86 in three career starts against Cleveland, with 25 strikeouts over 21 solid innings.
Cecil had the best outing of his career against the Indians back on May 3. He held them hitless over six-plus innings before a Jhonny Peralta single broke up the no-hitter and drove in Cleveland's only run of the game. Cecil finished with a career-best 10 strikeouts in the 5-1 Toronto win.
Cecil broke out to a fast start but has struggled to find the win column of late, with just one victory over his last seven outings. He earned a no-decision in his last appearance despite limiting the Detroit Tigers to a pair of runs on six hits over seven strong innings. The Jays went on to win 5-3.
The Indians counter with right-hander Jake Westbrook (6-7), who was touch-and-go to even make this start. Westbrook was linked to a possible trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night, and there were whispers he would be shipped out of town before he had a chance to face the Blue Jays.
Westbrook has lost two straight decisions but deserved a better fate in his previous outing. The 32-year-old limited the New York Yankees to three runs on four hits over eight strong innings, but the Indians offense couldn't bail him out on the way to a 3-2 defeat.
Westbrook is 3-2 with a 4.54 ERA in 10 career appearances (eight starts) against the Blue Jays. He breezed through the powerhouse Toronto lineup on June 28, surrendering a lone run on six hits over six innings in a 2-1 Cleveland victory.