Los Angeles @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( May 6, 2012 ) Toronto 3, LA Angels 4

The Los Angeles Angels will try to make it 14 wins in their last 15 road games when they open a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. Los Angeles, which has won six of its last seven overall and eight of 10, began its nine-game road trip with a two-game sweep at Baltimore, capped by a 13-1 victory Wednesday behind four hits from rookie Mike Trout.

Toronto, which is coming off a 10-4 loss at Boston on Wednesday, sends Brett Cecil to the mound to try to cool off the Angels. He has allowed three runs in 11 innings in two starts since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Blue Jays will try to defeat Dan Haren for the second time this season. They touched him for five runs (three earned) in seven innings in a 5-0 victory on May 3 in the opener of a four-game series the teams eventually split in Anaheim.

TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), SNET (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Dan Haren (5-7, 4.24 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH Brett Cecil (1-0, 2.45)

Haren allowed 14 runs and 27 hits in his last three starts covering 16 2/3 innings and has seen his ERA rise from 3.52. He earned the victory in his last start, though, an 8-5 decision over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday despite yielding five runs and nine hits in five innings. Haren is 7-3 in 12 games (11 starts) lifetime against Toronto. The Blue Jays’ roster is hitting .226 against him, with Jose Bautista 5-for-17 with two homers and Kelly Johnson 5-for-11 with four doubles.

Cecil allowed one run and five hits in six innings in his last start, but didn’t receive a decision in Toronto’s 7-1 victory at Miami on Saturday. He defeated Philadelphia 6-2 on June 17 in his first major league outing of the season. Cecil, who was 4-11 in 2011 after going 15-7 in 2010, is 1-2 in five starts against the Angels. The Los Angeles roster is hitting .262 against him. Bobby Wilson has enjoyed success in a small sample against Cecil (3-for-6, two homers, five RBIs).

WALK-OFFS

1. Trout leads the American League in hitting at .344. Only one Angel has won a batting title – Alex Johnson in 1970, when he edged Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski .3290 to .3286.

2. Bautista hit his major league-leading 25th homer – and MLB-leading 16th on the road – Wednesday. It was his 13th home run in June, setting a franchise record for the most hit in any one month.

3. The Angels, who set a season high for runs Wednesday, have won six straight series.