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Reds-Blue Jays Preview

Jun 25, 2009 - 5:49 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Cincinnati (34-35) at Toronto (39-33), 7:07 p.m. EDT

The Toronto Blue Jays are starting to rediscover the offense that paved the way for their fast start, news that could be potentially worrisome for the rest of the AL East.

After a rare poor start by Johnny Cueto, the Cincinnati Reds would like their young right-hander to recapture his dominant form on the mound.

Cueto will have a tough assignment in Thursday night's series finale against the surging Blue Jays, who will look for a fourth straight win while sending the Reds to a season-high fifth consecutive loss.

Cueto (6-4, 2.55 ERA) had an NL-low 2.17 ERA heading into his latest start, but the visiting Chicago White Sox hit him hard Saturday. The 23-year-old was spotted a 5-0 lead after three innings, but he gave up five runs and 10 hits - including three homers - while lasting just 4 2-3 innings in the White Sox's wild 10-8 win.

"Very rarely are you going to see Johnny Cueto with a five-run lead and not hold it," manager Dusty Baker told the Reds' official Web site. "He fell into certain patterns. They figured that pattern out quickly and started hitting the ball out of the ballpark."

Cueto, who's never faced Toronto, may find his luck better on the road. He's 5-2 with a 1.53 ERA away from Great American Ball Park, and he's limited opponents to a .186 average.

Cincinnati (34-36), though, will need to find a way to slow down the streaking Blue Jays' offense. Toronto (40-33) has averaged 7.8 runs during its six wins over the past eight games, and the 11 hits recorded in Wednesday's 8-2 win were the fewest in that stretch.

Five Blue Jays have seven RBIs in the past eight games, including Scott Rolen and Adam Lind. Toronto's 4-5 hitters are batting a combined .388 with five homers in those contests.

"The guys are swinging the bats good right now," said second baseman Aaron Hill, who hit his team-high 16th homer Wednesday. "It's tough to come in and shut a team out when they're swinging the bats."

Brett Cecil (2-1, 4.26) will get the ball for the Blue Jays in the finale, and he'll be looking to build on a solid start from over the weekend, his first in the majors in a month.

After four starts, the rookie left-hander was sent back to Triple-A on May 21, one day after he allowed eight runs - including five homers - over 4 2-3 innings in an 8-3 loss at Boston. He looked much better Saturday at Washington filling in for the injured Roy Halladay, yielding three runs over seven innings in Toronto's 5-3, 12-inning loss.

"I know how good things can be going and now I know how quickly they can turn around," Cecil told the Blue Jays' official Web site. "Of all my starts up here last time, I probably learned the most from Boston. The most important thing is, even if you give up a couple runs, the game's not over."

The Reds could use a boost from first baseman Joey Votto, who returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing nearly a month while battling depression and anxiety. The Toronto native was hitting .357 with eight homers and 33 RBIs before his sabbatical, but is 1 for 7 so far in this series.