O's not facing red-hot Blue Jays this time

The last time the Orioles saw the Toronto Blue Jays, they were getting trounced by them June 23 at Rogers Centre by a 13-5 score. That completed a three-game sweep by a Blue Jays team that also recorded its 11th straight win that day. Things are different with the Jays as they hit Baltimore this weekend. Since that 11-game winning streak, Toronto has gone 6-11. The Blue Jays are last in the AL East at 44-47. Toronto is averaging just 3.7 runs per game during this most recent 17-game run. The Jays went just 5-for-28 with runners in scoring position in losing two of three at Cleveland before they got here. Toronto didn't hit a home run in that series and is 12-22 in games without a homer. But Toronto has won four in a row over the Orioles for its first four-game winning streak against Baltimore since Sept. 24, 2010 to June 3, 2011. Toronto is 6-2 against the Orioles since the Birds took the first two games the clubs played this year, but the Jays have lost nine of their last 12 at Camden Yards. Chris Tillman (10-3, 3.92 ERA) faces lefty Mark Buehrle (5-5, 4.50 ERA) here tonight. Buehrle is 7-5 with a 2.97 ERA in his career against the Orioles, but hasn't faced them since 2011. Since the start of last season, Chris Davis and Adam Jones have combined to hit 23 homers against the Blue Jays pitching staff. Davis has 12 and Jones has 11. Toronto has Munenori Kawasaki batting ninth at second base tonight. In 10 games this year against O's pitching, he is batting .303 with one homer and eight RBIs. In his other 59 games, he is batting .197 with no homers and 12 RBIs. Draft note: The Orioles, as expected, did not make any last-minute draft signings today as the deadline to sign 2013 picks passed at 5 p.m. The Orioles signed all of their top 15 picks and signed 32 of 40 overall. Coming next week in this space, I'll have an interview with Jim Callis as he sizes up the O's draft. Davis stat: Here is your interesting Davis stat for the night. Of his seven hits since June 29, six have been homers and the other was a double. His last single was on June 25 and that was 16 games ago.



Davis passes Powell (Tillman goes six innings, O's...
A few notes before tonight's game
 

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