Toronto @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Aug 7, 2011 ) Toronto 7, Baltimore 2
THE STORY: Jeremy Guthrie is routinely among the league leaders in one key statistic – it just happens to be one of the less desirable ones. Guthrie looks to avoid his major league-leading 17th loss of the season Tuesday as he leads the Baltimore Orioles into the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Guthrie will be opposed by lefthander Brett Cecil.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, Rogers Sportsnet (Toronto), Mid-Atlantic Sports Network 2 (Orioles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH Brett Cecil (4-7, 4.42 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Jeremy Guthrie (6-16, 4.42 ERA).
Cecil has had a rough month of August, going 0-3 with a 4.59 ERA in five starts. He was torched for five runs on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings in his last outing, a 9-6 defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. The 25-year-old has had great success against Baltimore in his career, going 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA in four starts.
Nobody loses like Guthrie. The 32-year-old has racked up 47 defeats – and counting – over the past three seasons, easily the most in the majors over that span. He was victorious last time out, limiting Minnesota to a run on five hits over seven innings. Guthrie can't buy a break against Toronto, going 2-7 despite a decent 3.62 ERA in 17 career starts.
ABOUT THE BLUE JAYS (67-67): Toronto's topsy-turvy season took another spiral downward in August. Despite a 7-3 victory in Monday's series finale with Tampa Bay, the Blue Jays sit just 12-14 for the month, assured no better than a .500 finish. Toronto has alternated losing and winning months so far in 2011, and will be looking to put together a strong September to build momentum for the 2012 campaign. The Blue Jays enter the three-game series at Camden Yards having won eight of 12 meetings with the Orioles this season. That's the most victories Toronto has posted against any team.
ABOUT THE ORIOLES (53-79): At this point in the season, the Orioles will take good news of any kind. Baltimore has finished under .500 in every month so far, and at a dismal 11-16 in August following Monday's loss to the New York Yankees, only September remains. The Orioles' undoing in 2010 has been its divisional record. At just 16-33 against the rest of the American League East, Baltimore has only itself to blame for what appears to be a fourth straight last-place finish in the division. The Orioles' current roster has hit well against Cecil, posting a collective .296 average in 81 at-bats. Nick Markakis has been the most dangerous hitter, going 6-for-12 lifetime.
FINAL PITCH: Toronto has won 43 of the last 62 meetings between the clubs.