Blue Jays at Orioles
J.J. Hardy has performed well the few times he has made it on the field this season and his Baltimore Orioles hope a day off will be enough to get him back when they open a three-game home set against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. The two-time All-Star is 5-for-15 in the four games in which he has played, but has missed five of the last six due to back spasms. Hardy went 2-for-3 against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday only to have his back lock up during pregame fielding drills on Sunday.
Even without Hardy, the Orioles have won three of four following a four-game losing streak and are coming off their first series win of the season after taking two of three from the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays missed out on a chance to sweep the Houston Astros at home on Thursday and begin a nine-game road trip that will also take them to Minnesota and Cleveland over the next 10 days. Toronto struggled mightily with runners in scoring position against the Astros, going 4-for-28 in such situations.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SNET (Toronto), MASN2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Dustin McGowan (0-1, 13.50 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (1-0, 1.35)
McGowan will take the hill for the first time in seven days after getting tagged for four runs and eight hits over 2 2/3 innings during last Friday’s 7-3 loss to the Yankees. Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker remarked after the game that his 32-year-old hurler may have tipped his pitches by coming to a different set position with his glove depending on what pitch he was about to throw. McGowan has struggled mightily in 13 all-time appearances (six starts) versus Baltimore, going 0-3 with a 6.99 ERA.
Opting to keep Tillman on regular rest, the Orioles will skip Bud Norris’ turn in the rotation and use the 2013 All-Star in the series opener after he outdueled Justin Verlander in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The 16-game winner from a season ago held the Tigers’ formidable offense to one run and five hits over 8 1/3 innings. Tillman went 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA in five outings versus the Blue Jays last season, but failed to notch a win in either of his two September starts against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. Melky Cabrera can tie Alex Rios on Friday for the longest hit streak to open a season by a Blue Jay since 2007 with 11.
2. After opening the season 2-for-18 with one RBI, Baltimore 3B Jonathan Schoop went 5-for-12 with a homer and four RBIs against the Yankees.
3. Toronto CF Colby Rasmus posted his first multi-hit game of the season on Thursday, going 3-for-4 while also hitting his first homer.