Toronto @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 26, 2012 ) Oakland 4, Toronto 10

The Oakland Athletics have suddenly stopped hitting – and winning. The Athletics, who won 12 of their first 14 games following the All-Star break, have lost three of their last four contests as they start a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. The Athletics dropped two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays to start their 10-game homestand, but still hold down the final spot in the tight American League wild card race by 1½ games over Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Detroit. Oakland has scored six runs in its last four games after recording 58 in its previous seven contests.

Oakland has scored six runs in its last four games after recording 58 in its previous seven contests. RHP Bartolo Colon won his last start after going winless in his previous five outings and will oppose Toronto’s Henderson Alvarez, who has a team-leading 11 quality starts but only three since June 7. The Blue Jays have lost four straight, including a 5-3 setback to complete a three-game sweep at Seattle on Wednesday, and have fallen five games off the wild card pace.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, SN-1 (Toronto), CS California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Henderson Alvarez (7-7, 4.43 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Bartolo Colon (7-8, 3.78)

Alvarez held Detroit to one run and five hits in seven innings in Toronto’s 5-1 victory on Saturday and has alternated good starts with bad ones over his last five outings. He allowed seven runs in 5 2/3 innings in the Blue Jays’ 15-7 win at Boston on July 22. Alvarez is 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA in two starts against the Athletics and has only yielded one double among eight hits in 27 at-bats against their roster.

Colon was 0-2 with three no-decisions before yielding seven hits and striking out five in 5 2/3 scoreless innings in Oakland’s 6-1 victory at Baltimore on Saturday. He had allowed four runs in each of his previous two starts. Colon is 9-5 in 23 career starts against the Blue Jays, whose roster is batting .317 against him. Toronto should consider playing 45-year-old Omar Vizquel – he is 8-for-20 with a homer, three doubles and five RBIs against Colon.

WALK-OFFS

1. Toronto RF Jose Bautista, who injured his wrist while swinging during an at-bat at Yankee Stadium on July 16, was eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, but isn’t ready to return.

2. Oakland franchise-record 19-5 mark in July was the best by an AL team since New York was 23-6 in 1956.

3. Athletics OF Josh Reddick is mired in a career-worst 0-for-21 slide.