Orioles at Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays may not have a realistic shot of making a playoff push with two teams in their division sporting the best records in the majors, but they have flashed the ability to take advantage if their opponents let them hang around too long. After improving what was already one of baseball's marks in their last contest, the Blue Jays eye a season-best fourth straight win Sunday when they look to complete a four-game home sweep of the Baltimore Orioles.
Toronto found itself in its third extra-inning affair in four games Saturday, but the Blue Jays wasted little time beating the Orioles for the fifth time in six meetings this season when Luke Maile drew a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk with two outs in the 10th inning to force home the winning run. A backup catcher who has seen action in only 31 of his team's 64 games, Maile notched his third walk-off RBI of the season to give Toronto a major league-high seventh victory in eight extra-inning contests. Baltimore has been on the wrong end of two of the Blue Jays' five walk-off wins this weekend alone, also dropping a 5-4 decision in Thursday's series opener after surrendering a three-run lead in the ninth. The Orioles have lost 10 of 12 and own both the worst road record in baseball (9-26) as well as the majors' worst overall mark (19-44).
TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, MASN 2 (Baltimore), Sportsnet (Toronto), TVA Sports (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Alex Cobb (2-7, 6.19 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (2-6, 5.29)
Cobb turned in the finest of his 10 outings with Baltimore in Tuesday's road win against the New York Mets, allowing one run while striking out a season-high seven in six frames. The 30-year-old Bostonian has given up three earned runs or fewer in six of his last seven outings and posted a 4.65 ERA since recording a 13.11 mark in three April efforts. Curtis Granderson is 3-for-10 with four walks versus Cobb, who is 3-3 with a 3.23 ERA in eight starts against Toronto.
Estrada's five-game losing streak remained intact despite registering the best of his 12 trips to the mound Tuesday, yielding one run on six hits while fanning six over as many innings in a no-decision versus the New York Yankees. Prior to his last outing, the Long Beach State product had surrendered at least four runs in seven of his last nine turns. Adam Jones (9-for-32) and Jonathan Schoop (8-for-34) have each homered twice versus Estrada, who gave up four runs in four frames in a loss at Baltimore on April 11.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Blue Jays, who are 25-1 in games in which they score at least five runs, have scored 11 of their 27 runs against Baltimore this season in the ninth inning or later.
2. Baltimore SS Manny Machado is 1-for-12 in this series after going 11-for-38 and hitting safely in nine of his previous 10 contests.
3. Toronto OF Randal Grichuk is 5-for-11 with two doubles, two homers, four RBIs and three runs scored in this series.