Cleveland @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 31, 2015 ) Cleveland 4, Toronto 2

The Cleveland Indians look to continue their blistering stretch at the expense of one of the hottest teams in baseball when they play the second contest of a three-game series versus the host Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. Carlos Santana extended his hitting streak to eight games in a 4-2 series-opening victory for Cleveland, which has won six in a row and moved within four games of Texas in the race for the second wild card in the American League.

Santana is 11-for-32 with nine RBIs during his torrid stretch, but will face a pitcher (Marco Estrada) making his first start against Cleveland despite competing in his eighth season in the majors. While the Indians are inching closer to a potential postseason berth, AL East-leading Toronto remained 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place New York Yankees despite suffering just its second loss in 10 outings and sixth in 27 games in August. Edwin Encarnacion's career-high 26-game hitting streak matches Shannon Stewart (1999) and John Olerud (1993) for the second-longest in franchise history, but the reigning AL Player of the Week failed to record an RBI for the first time in his last nine contests. Encarnacion has launched 11 homers and secured 35 RBIs during his streak but, like Santana, will face a pitcher that he has never seen in Tuesday starter Cody Anderson.

TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, STO (Cleveland), RSN (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Cody Anderson (2-3, 4.30 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (11-8, 3.19)

After a sterling start to his major-league career, Anderson hit the skids and yielded 21 runs in his next four starts before finding himself on the disabled list with an oblique injury. The 24-year-old returned to allow two runs on as many hits in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision versus Milwaukee on Wednesday. Anderson has issued multiple walks in four of his last six starts after permitting just one in his first three outings since being called up from the minors.

Estrada followed a three-start winning streak with his second loss in three outings on Thursday despite allowing one run on four hits in six innings of a 4-1 setback to Texas. The 32-year-old has pitched well this season, yielding more than three runs on just one occasion in his last 13 starts. Estrada continues to struggle with his control, issuing at least three walks in three of his last four outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Toronto 3B Josh Donaldson is 7-for-17 with two homers, four runs scored and seven RBIs in his last four games.

2. Cleveland CF Abraham Almonte is 8-for-20 with five runs scored in his last seven contests.

3. Blue Jays 2B Ryan Goins is 10-for-23 with six runs scored during his six-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 5, Indians 3