Toronto @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( May 30, 2012 ) Baltimore 1, Toronto 4
The Baltimore Orioles are in a place where division rival Toronto aspires to be: in contention for a postseason berth and trying to break up the yearly monopoly enjoyed by the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in the American League East. The Orioles are just five games back of the division-leading Yankees and are tied with Detroit and Oakland for the second wild card slot as they prepare to host the Blue Jays in a three-game series beginning Friday night.
Losers of five straight after getting swept in a three-game series at Detroit, Blue Jays are 5-19 in their last 24 games due to a punchless offense that has been held to three runs or fewer 19 times in that span. Help finally arrives Friday night when reigning home run champion Jose Bautista rejoins the lineup. Bautista swatted 54 homers last year and had hit 27 in 90 games this season before going on the disabled list on July 17 with a sprained left wrist.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, Rogers Sportsnet (Toronto), MASN2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Carlos Villanueva (6-3, 3.10 ERA) vs. Orioles LH Zach Britton (2-1, 6.23)
After getting off to a 6-0 start, Villanueva has gone 0-3 in his last four starts. He hasn't pitched poorly, allowing only 10 runs during the dry spell, and Toronto's bats haven't helped him much by supplying only nine runs in that span. Villanueva has given up more than three runs in only one of his nine starts. He's 2-0 with a 3.91 ERA in six appearances (three starts) vs. the Orioles.
Britton had his best outing of his abbreviated season in his last start, shackling the Detroit Tigers on six hits over seven scoreless innings. That followed a three-start span in which he was roughed up for 20 runs in 13 1/3 innings. Britton's two starts at Camden Yards this year have been ugly: He lasted a total of 10 2/3 innings and gave up 13 runs but managed to escape the loss in each.
WALK-OFFS
1. Bautista hit a pair of homers, including a grand slam, in his final rehab game Thursday at Double-A New Hampshire.
2. Orioles RF Nick Markakis is batting .444 (12-for-27) during a seven-game hitting streak.
3. The Blue Jays have not won a series since taking two of three against Detroit from July 27-29.