Toronto @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2011 ) Toronto 1, Chi. White Sox 2

THE STORY: Few pitchers in the majors have been as dialed in as Brandon Morrow over the final two weeks of the regular season. The hard-throwing righthander looks to build on his career-high win total as he leads the Toronto Blue Jays into their season finale Wednesday afternoon against the host Chicago White Sox. Toronto needs a win to finish .500 for the season. Morrow will be opposedby Phil Humber, who has been mostly awful in the second half.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, RSN (Toronto), CSN (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Brandon Morrow (11-11, 4.78 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Phil Humber (9-9, 3.86 ERA)

Morrow needs just four strikeouts to reach 200 for the first time in his career - and if he throws the way he has over his last two starts, the 26-year-old should have no trouble getting there. Morrow has tossed 15 scoreless innings over his last two games, defeating AL East powers New York and Tampa Bay while racking up 17 strikeouts in that span. He's 0-1 in eight career appearances against Chicago.

Humber was one of the top White Sox starters in the opening half, going 8-5 with a tidy 3.10 ERA. The 27-year-old has gone 1-4 with a 5.51 ERA since - and he looked completely overwhelmed in his last two starts, surrendering 13 runs in 12 innings to Kansas City and Cleveland. Humber has a 4.50 ERA in 10 career innings against the Blue Jays. He's just 3-6 at home so far this season.

ABOUT THE BLUE JAYS (80-81): A .500 finish will hardly send Toronto fans streaming to the ticket window in 2012, but there are plenty of reasons for Blue Jays supporters to look forward to next season. Several first-year players have made positive impacts in 2011, led by catcher J.P. Arencibia (23 HR, 78 RBI), third baseman Brett Lawrie (150 AB, .293 AVG, 9 HR, 25 RBI) and starter Henderson Alvarez (63 2/3 IP, 8 BB, 40 K, 3.53 ERA). Questions remain at second base - where Toronto may re-sign newly acquired Kelly Johnson, or opt to look elsewhere - and on a pitching staff that didn't show much consistency behind staff ace Ricky Romero. The club's shaky bullpen will likely be dealt with in the offseason after it blew 25 saves, tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the most in the majors.

ABOUT THE WHITE SOX (79-82): Chicago made good in Don Cooper's managerial debut, beating the Blue Jays 2-1 Tuesday night in the first game of the post-Ozzie Guillen era. Mark Buehrle made an emotional final start of the season, throwing seven shutout innings before departing to a standing ovation from the drenched masses at U.S. Cellular Field. Buehrle is set to become a free agent at season's end, and could prove difficult for the White Sox to re-sign given the interest he will generate as a dependable lefthander. Chicago hitters are a collective .220 against Morrow over his career. Adam Dunn who comes into the game hitting .159 for the season, is 0-for-4 with three strikeouts vs. Morrow. Dunn needs six at-bats to officially record the lowest average in history.

FINAL PITCH: With a two-homer lead on New York's Curtis Granderson entering the final day of action, Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista is on the verge of becoming the first back-to-back home-run champion since Alex Rodriguez led the majors in 2002 and finished tied with Jim Thome for top spot in 2003. The winner will likely finish with the lowest league-leading total since Matt Williams clubbed 43 homers for the San Francisco Giants in the strike-shortened 1994 campaign.