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Angels-Blue Jays Preview

Apr 17, 2010 - 3:57 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Los Angeles (3-7) at Toronto (7-3), 1:07 p.m. EDT

With a chance to win their first series this season, the Los Angeles Angels look to winless Joe Saunders to help them earn the victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Angels will try to post back-to-back wins for the first time in 2010 on Saturday when Saunders goes for his first career victory at Rogers Centre.

After opening the season with series losses to Minnesota, Oakland and the Yankees, the three-time defending AL West champion Angels moved a step toward ending that trend with Friday's 7-5 win over Toronto (7-4).

Kendry Morales hit a solo homer, Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter each added two-out RBIs in the fifth inning and Jered Weaver threw seven innings of two-hit ball in the series opener to help Los Angeles (4-7) avoid matching its worst start since 2002.

"The story tonight is really the way Jered kept putting up zeros, giving our offense a chance to trickle into a lead and then break it open a little later," said manager Mike Scioscia. "That's what this club is capable of doing with any one of our starters."

Saunders (0-2, 7.36 ERA) will try to give Los Angeles a second straight victory as he makes his first start away from Anaheim this season. In his last outing, the left-hander yielded four runs and four hits over six innings in Sunday's 9-4 loss to Oakland. Three of those runs crossed in the sixth.

"I thought Joe threw the ball really well," Scioscia said. "I thought he threw better than his linescore would show. Leading up through the seventh inning he changed speeds really well, and you have to give the A's some credit in the seventh inning for bunching together some hits."

Saunders is 0-2 with a 6.57 ERA in two career starts in Toronto.

While Saunders attempts to avoid losing his first three starts for the first time in his career, Blue Jays left-hander Brian Tallet (1-0, 5.68) looks for a more complete effort than in his last outing - Monday's 8-7, 11-inning home-opening loss to the White Sox.

Tallet went six innings but allowed two homers for the second straight start and surrendered eight hits and six runs.

"I only did half my job today," he told the Blue Jays' official Web site. "Half my job was to get deep into the game, which I was able to get into the sixth. But when it really boils down to it, my job is to win ballgames, and I just wasn't able to do it today."

Tallet hasn't been able to beat the Angels in seven career appearances, going 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA. He had no record with a 10.29 ERA in one start and one relief appearance against Los Angeles in 2009.

Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells continued his power surge Friday with a leadoff homer in the second inning. His six homers through 11 games are as many as he had on June 20 last season. Wells is two homers shy of 200.

Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay has not been faring as well, batting .070 with 13 strikeouts after Friday's 0-for-4 effort.

Hunter has three straight two-hit games and is batting a team-high .359. He is 2 for 10 lifetime versus Tallet.