Opposite dugout: Blue Jays look to pad AL East lead in Baltimore

Manager: John Gibbons, second year Record: 39-28 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: RF Jose Bautista (.311/.434/.548, 15 HR, 45 RBIs); 1B Edwin Encarnacion (.261/.350/.582, 20 HR, 16 doubles, 53 RBIs); LHP Mark Buehrle (10-2, 2.04 ERA, 1.21 WHIP); RHP Drew Hutchison (4-4, 3.96 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 3-3, 35 runs scored, 29 runs allowed Pitching probables June 12: Mark Buehrle vs. Kevin Gausman, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD June 13: Drew Hutchison vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 7 p.m., MASN HD June 14: R.A. Dickey vs. Bud Norris, 4 p.m., MASN HD June 15: J.A. Happ vs. Chris Tillman, 1:30 p.m., MASN HD Series breakdown The Blue Jays have lost four of five games to absorb two straight series losses. But even with that rut, they've been one of the hottest teams in baseball. Toronto is 21-8 since falling to 18-20 on May 11. That includes a nine-game winning streak from May 20-28 and a six-game streak from May 31 to June 6. As a result, the Blue Jays have emerged as the American League East frontrunner, taking a 4 1/2-game lead over the Orioles for the largest division lead in the AL. Offense has been the Jays' strength all year, as they lead the majors - by a longshot - with 91 homers, are third with 321 runs and are fourth in the AL with a .261 average. Right fielder Jose Bautista leads Toronto with a .982 OPS. He's batting .311 with 15 homers, 12 doubles and 45 RBIs. After hitting no homers and driving in just five runs over his first 19 games, first baseman Edwin Encarnacion has 20 homers and 48 RBIs in his last 47 games. He now ranks second in the majors in homers and RBIs. That powerful stretch has provided a huge boost to a Toronto lineup that also includes infielder Brett Lawrie (11 homers, 36 RBIs), left fielder Melky Cabrera (10 homers, 33 RBIs) and third baseman Juan Francisco (10 homers, 26 RBIs). With such a productive offense, the Blue Jays haven't needed exceptional pitching and rank in the middle of the AL pack at ninth with a 4.03 ERA. But left-hander Mark Buehrle's amazing start has led Toronto to the AL's fourth-best rotation ERA (3.75). Buehrle is 10-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 13 starts. He leads the AL in wins and is second in ERA. The veteran southpaw faces O's righty Kevin Gausman in the first game of the series in what could be a fun mound match-up. Gausman allowed one run and four hits in seven innings on June 7 in his return to the majors. Buehrle has pitched eight quality starts in a row. Drew Hutchison (4-4, 3.96 ERA), R.A. Dickey (6-4, 4.20 ERA) and J.A. Happ (5-3, 4.37 ERA) start the final three games of the series for Toronto. Getting into the Jays bullpen would be a benefit, as their relievers rank 13th in the AL with a 4.54 combined ERA. Toronto has converted just 22 of 31 save chances, so Baltimore could have an opening in the late innings as well. The Orioles have an opportunity to make up some serious ground in the division over the next four days. Baltimore could be catching the Blue Jays at the right time with them sagging just a little bit. So although it isn't a must-win series at this stage, three or four wins over Toronto could significantly improve the O's position.