Indians at Blue Jays
The Cleveland Indians have managed to work their way back onto the fringes of the American League wild card race but are about to run into a buzz saw. The Indians will try to post their sixth straight win when they visit the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series on Monday.
Cleveland outscored Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Angels by a combined 37-14 to sweep a five-game homestand and move within five games of the Texas Rangers for the second wild card, but is still a longshot. The Indians would have to climb over four teams, including Texas, to jump into that wild card and head out for the next nine on the road, where they are 6-10 this month. The Blue Jays opened their homestand with a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers and need one more win to match their record for a month (22-7 in Sept./Oct. 1998). Toronto is in first place at the latest point in the season since 1993 (1 1/2 games up on the New York Yankees) and will send imported ace David Price to the mound opposite Indians righty Danny Salazar.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, STO (Cleveland), SNET (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Danny Salazar (11-7, 3.30 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH David Price (13-4, 2.42)
Salazar had a streak of four straight starts allowing one or no earned runs come to an end when he was reached for five runs (four earned) on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees on Aug. 22. The 25-year-old Dominican was struggling through an illness in that outing that caused his next turn to be pushed back. Salazar is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 10 strikeouts in as many innings against Toronto in his career.
Price is 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five starts since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers with 41 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. The former Cy Young Award winner struck out eight in six innings while allowing two runs in a win at Texas on Wednesday. Price is making his fourth start of the season against Cleveland and is 9-1 with a 2.04 ERA in 12 career outings versus the Indians.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Blue Jays have hit three or more home runs in six of the last 11 games.
2. Cleveland C Carlos Santana has nine RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.
3. Toronto 1B Edwin Encarnacion has hit safely in 25 straight games and boasts a club-record 35 RBIs this month.