Toronto @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 18, 2011 ) Toronto 7, Oakland 0

THE STORY: Brett Cecil and Rich Harden face off for the second time in a week and a half as the Toronto Blue Jays resume their four-game series with the host Oakland Athletics on Friday night. Home runs got the better of Cecil late in that last encounter. He'll try to halt a three-game winless stretch against Harden, who was masterful against Toronto but struggled last time out.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, Rogers Sportsnet, Comcast SportsNet California

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH Brett Cecil (4-5, 4.38 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Rich Harden (3-2, 4.50 ERA).

Cecil had the better of Harden through five innings in their previous encounter 10 days ago, but two bad pitches saw his night end in defeat. Homers by Josh Willingham and Kurt Suzuki gave the Athletics the 3-1 lead, sending Cecil to his first loss in four decisions. The 25-year-old is 2-1 in three career starts against the Athletics, boasting a solid 2.86 ERA over 22 innings.

Harden's first career victory against Toronto was also one of his strongest outings of the season. The 29-year-old Canadian yielded a lone run over seven innings against one of the most imposing lineups in the American League, adding eight strikeouts for good measure. Harden wasn't nearly as impressive in his last start, allowing four runs in four innings as the A's fell 7-6 to Texas.

ABOUT THE BLUE JAYS (64-60): After a chilly start in Toronto, center fielder Colby Rasmus is beginning to show why many baseball experts were stunned to see the St. Louis Cardinals trade him away at the non-waiver deadline. Rasmus went 3-for-4 in Thursday's series-opening 7-0 win, belting his third home run in a Blue Jay uniform and finishing with two RBIs. The 24-year-old has two homers and seven RBIs over his last three games, and has now knocked in 12 runs in 19 games with Toronto. The Blue Jays roster hitting just .184 collectively against Harden, while Edwin Encarnacion is the only member of Friday's lineup to have homered off of him.

ABOUT THE ATHLETICS (55-69): With regular first baseman Conor Jackson playing left field Thursday following a four-game absence due to neck soreness, Brandon Allen has staked a claim to the starting job at the keystone corner. Allen, who came over in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks at the non-waiver deadline, had one of Oakland's three hits in Thursday's defeat and is batting a scorching 9-for-19 in six games with the club. The hulking 25-year-old is a notorious strikeout magnet - whiffing 33 times in just 74 at-bats with Arizona over the past two seasons - but has been punched out just three times with Oakland. It isn't certain when Jackson will return to first base, but his grip on the starting spot may be slipping.

FINAL PITCH: Thursday's victory gave Toronto a 4-3 lead in the season series.