Toronto @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Aug 24, 2012 ) Toronto 4, Baltimore 6
The Baltimore Orioles just won’t go away. Every time the Orioles have had a chance to fall apart, they have picked it up instead. After dropping two of three at Texas earlier in the week, Baltimore received a clutch performance from Chris Davis on Friday and managed to keep its spot in the American League wild card race. The Toronto Blue Jays finally got Jose Bautista back in the lineup, but it might be too late to salvage a .500 campaign.
Davis recorded his first career three-homer game in Friday’s 6-4 triumph, leaving the Orioles tied with the Oakland Athletics for the second wild card spot - 1 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay. Baltimore has first-place teams in the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox coming up on its schedule and could afford to pad its record against the Blue Jays, who have dropped six straight and remain in last place in the AL East. Bautista missed over a month with a wrist injury and went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in his return. Toronto is still without sluggers J.P. Arencibia, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, RSN (Toronto), MASN2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Brandon Morrow (7-4, 3.01 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Steve Johnson (1-0, 3.27)
Morrow (oblique) will follow Bautista off the disabled list and make his first start in over two months. The right-hander was coming off a two-hit shutout at Chicago on June 6 when he failed to record an out five days later and was placed on the disabled list. Morrow surrendered one run and four hits while striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings to beat the Orioles on May 30. He is 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA in 14 career games - seven starts - against Baltimore.
The Orioles will continue mixing and matching in their rotation with Johnson, who is being summoned from the bullpen to make a spot start. The rookie right-hander has made one start among four major-league appearances, allowing two runs in six innings to earn a win over Seattle on Aug. 8. Johnson has notched 16 strikeouts while walking four in 11 total innings with Baltimore this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Davis’ three-homer performance was the first for the Orioles since Nick Markakis in 2006.
2. The Blue Jays pushed LHP Aaron Laffey to the bullpen to open a rotation spot for Morrow. Laffey had gone 3-5 with a 4.78 ERA as a starter and could start again when Toronto shifts to a six-man rotation in September.
3. Orioles closer Jim Johnson has not allowed a hit or a walk in any of his last six appearances.