Toronto @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Sep 16, 2014 ) Toronto 2, Baltimore 8
The Toronto Blue Jays may not encounter much resistance in the finale of their three-game series against the host Baltimore Orioles, but it may be too late to salvage their fading postseason hopes. With the Orioles having clinched the American League East title on Tuesday and general manager Dan Duquette proclaiming "We're gonna party like its 1969," a letdown appears to be a certainty. Toronto is up against it, trailing Kansas City by five games for the second wild card.
Baltimore ended its 17-year division title drought by going 49-21 over its last 70 games and ripping off nine wins in its last 10 games. The Blue Jays not only are running out of time in their pursuit of the second wild card with only 12 games to play, but they also had to witness the Orioles celebrate the division clincher at their expense. “Watching what we have to watch is probably the worst thing you can experience as a player," right-hander Drew Hutchison said.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, RSN, TVA (Toronto), MASN2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (9-10, 4.28 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Bud Norris (13-8, 3.74)
Happ was a hard-luck loser despite tossing a masterpiece last time out, allowing one run on two hits over seven innings in a 1-0 defeat against Tampa Bay. He has only one victory in his last nine outings, even though he's permitted three runs or fewer on six occasions in that span. One of those setbacks was a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Orioles on Aug. 7, a game in which Happ struck out a career-best 12 in a season-high eight frames.
Norris rebounded from an ugly performance with an overpowering effort against the New York Yankees on Friday, striking out 10 and yielding only three hits in seven scoreless innings. He surrendered four solo homers in his previous turn against Tampa Bay but managed to escape with a no-decision and is unbeaten over his last four starts. Norris defeated the Blue Jays on Aug. 5 by allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings to improve to 3-0 lifetime against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Orioles have recorded 13 triples on the season, with three coming from LF Alejandro De Aza, whose first game with the club was on Sept. 2.
2. Blue Jays SS Jose Reyes is 7-for-17 during his four-game hitting streak.
3. Orioles 1B Steve Pearce hit his 18th homer Tuesday - one more than his previous seven seasons combined.
PREDICTION: Blue Jays 5, Orioles 3