Baltimore @ Toronto preview
Rogers Centre
Last Meeting ( Sep 25, 2010 ) Baltimore 4, Toronto 5
The Toronto Blue Jays have dominated the Baltimore Orioles this season as they get set to finish the season series between these two teams today at the Rogers Centre.
Toronto got a walk-off home run from Lyle Overbay in the 11th inning to beat the Orioles 5-4 on Saturday, picking up the club’s 14th win in 17 meetings with Baltimore this season. The Jays (79-75) had four homers in the game, upping their league-best total to 241.
They now sit three home runs back of the franchise record set in 2000. The Blue Jays have hit 34 of those dingers against Baltimore (61-93) this season and could give Orioles starter Rick VandenHurk (0-0, 4.61 ERA) a rude welcome in his first start of the season.
VandenHurk has come out of the bullpen for the Orioles since getting called up from Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 16.
The right-hander has 13 strikeouts and six walks in 13 2/3 innings. He came on to relieve Brian Matusz on Sept. 13 against the Jays, holding them to one run over 5 1/3 innings in a 4-3 win for Baltimore. VandenHurk started for the Florida Marlins last year and went 3-2 with a 4.30 ERA.
Shaun Marcum (12-8, 3.77) toes the rubber for the Blue Jays today as he looks to set a career high in wins. He is coming off a 6-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox in his last outing, giving up all six runs over 5 1/3 innings, but has been great against the O’s so far this year.
The 29-year-old is 2-0 in with a 1.59 ERA in three starts against Baltimore. He held the O’s to one run on nine hits over five innings in a 10-1 win on July 18.
One Orioles hitter Marcum has had problems with is the red-hot Nick Markakis, who is hitting .462 with five home runs against him. Markakis has hits in five straight games overall, going 9-for-22 over that span.
Toronto’s Jose Bautista was held in check Saturday after hammering three home runs in two days. He struck out three times Saturday but leads the bigs with 52 homers this year. Bautista is hitting .308 with nine blasts and 19 RBIs over 17 games against the Orioles this year.
Toronto has beaten Baltimore 13 straight times at the Rogers Centre, a streak that dates back to Aug. 7, 2009.