Toronto @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 4, 2014 ) Toronto 0, Oakland 1

With the Oakland Athletics owning the best record in the majors, management showed it is all in by pulling off a reported blockbuster trade late Friday night, acquiring starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Chicago Cubs. The deal bolsters an already-strong starting staff for the Athletics, who play the third contest of a four-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Oakland's pitching has limited the Blue Jays to one run over the first two games.

The price tag for the Athletics was high - their two best minor-league prospects in shortstop Addison Russell and outfielder Billy McKinney along with promising pitcher Dan Straily. Toronto has dropped five of seven and will look to get back on track behind Mark Buehrle, who stamped himself as a front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award through the first two months of the season. Buehrle, though, is winless since June 1, going 0-4 in his last five starts.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, MLBN, RSN (Toronto), CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH Mark Buehrle (10-5, 2.50 ERA) vs. Athletics LH Scott Kazmir (9-3, 2.61)

Although his winless drought reached five starts, Buehrle turned in his best performance in four weeks last time out by limiting the Chicago White Sox - his former club - to two runs over eight innings in a 4-0 defeat. The veteran has struggled with the long ball during his slump, allowing six homers after yielding only two in his first 12 turns. Buehrle has seen plenty of the Athletics in his career, going 8-13 with a 3.63 ERA.

Kazmir was bothered by a leg cramp in his last outing at Detroit and exited after permitting one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. It was a nice bounce-back effort from his previous turn, when he was hammered for seven runs on eight hits - including three homers - in three frames against the New York Mets. Kazmir is 5-1 with a superb 1.61 ERA in seven home starts this season and has won four straight at O.co Coliseum while allowing a total of three earned runs.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics 1B Brandon Moss, who leads the team in homers (19) and RBIs (62), is expected to sit out Saturday after spraining his left ankle in Friday's 12-inning, 1-0 win.

2. Blue Jays DH Jose Bautista has a four-game hitting streak but has yet to play in right field since returning to action on July 1.

3. Oakland LF Yoenis Cespedes is 0-for-8 in the series following a 15-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Athletics 4, Blue Jays 3