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Athletics-Blue Jays Preview

Apr 30, 2010 - 4:27 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Oakland (12-11) at Toronto (11-12), 7:07 p.m. EDT

John Buck isn't known for his hitting, let alone his power. However, becoming the first catcher in almost six years to hit three homers was just what the Toronto Blue Jays needed to snap a season-high five-game losing streak.

Buck looks to build on his outburst at the plate Friday night when the Blue Jays attempt to continue their home success against the Oakland Athletics.

Buck is a career .233 hitter over six-plus seasons with Kansas City and Toronto (11-12). He entered this series batting .155 with one homer and six RBIs in 18 games, and mired in a 2 for 33 slump over 11 contests.

He broke out of that slump in a big way Thursday, connecting for homers in his first three at-bats and collecting five RBIs to power a 6-3 win over the Athletics (12-11) in the opener of this four-game series.

Buck became the first catcher to hit three homers in a game since Victor Martinez did it for Cleveland at Seattle on July 16, 2004. He's also the first Blue Jays catcher to accomplish the feat since Darrin Fletcher on Aug. 27, 2000.

"Buck had a night that you can only dream of as a kid: three home runs in a ballgame," manager Cito Gaston said.

Buck attributed his success to taking early batting practice with hitting coach Dwayne Murphy watching and pitching coach Bruce Walton throwing.

"I'll do it every day if I'll get those results," Buck said. "(Walton) is my favorite right now.

"I've been getting pitches to hit and I've been fouling them straight back, then swinging at the nasty pitches and missing the ones I should be hitting. I was just concentrating on getting my foot down early and getting my hands ready."

While Buck is trying to build on that performance, Toronto will give the ball to Brandon Morrow (1-2, 6.14 ERA).

The right-hander labored through six innings Sunday, allowing two runs and three hits with eight strikeouts and six walks on a season-high 108 pitches in a 6-0 loss at Tampa Bay.

"Overall, I thought I threw well, but I need to keep the pitch count down," Morrow told the team's official website. "One of the ways to do that is to cut down on the walks."

Morrow is 2-0 with a 4.19 ERA in three starts against the A's. He dominated them the last time he faced them Sept. 30, yielding one hit while fanning nine in eight innings of a 7-0 victory with Seattle.

The Blue Jays have won seven of eight against Oakland at Rogers Centre.

The A's have dropped seven of 10 and are trying to halt a five-game road losing streak.

They'll turn to Trevor Cahill to do that in his season debut after scheduled starter Brett Anderson landed on the disabled list with left elbow tightness Tuesday.

Cahill, 22, has had his own injury problems, as he started 2010 on the DL with a left scapula stress reaction before being activated on April 20. The right-hander went 10-13 with a 4.63 ERA in 32 starts as a rookie last year.

He went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two starts against Toronto.