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Blue Jays-White Sox Preview

May 7, 2010 - 4:36 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Toronto (16-13) at Chicago (12-16), 8:10 p.m. EDT

Continued success away from home has the Toronto Blue Jays on the verge of their longest winning streak of the season.

The Blue Jays try for a sixth straight victory when they continue their series with the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

Fred Lewis had a two-run double, and Dana Eveland allowed two hits over seven innings as Toronto (17-13) matched a season high with its fifth straight victory, 2-0 on Thursday.

Toronto is 10-3 away from home, and 4-0 on a 10-game trip that began with a sweep of Cleveland.

Lewis has played a big part in the Blue Jays' success on the swing. Acquired in a trade with San Francisco last month, Lewis is 7 for 14 in his last three games.

Though Toronto is averaging 4.5 runs on the road this season, it gave Eveland more than enough support in the series opener. The Blue Jays hope Shaun Marcum (1-1, 3.12 ERA) can provide another strong outing as he looks to build on his first victory in almost two years.

The right-hander, who missed all last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, allowed one run in 6 1-3 innings of a 9-3 win over Oakland on Sunday for his first win since beating Chicago on Sept. 11, 2008.

"It doesn't seem like it's been that long," Marcum said. "It's just a game we won. That's all I'm worried about."

Marcum has had little to worry about when facing the White Sox, going 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA in four starts.

Coming off a 9-2 win over Kansas City, the White Sox (12-17) were held to three hits Thursday. Former Blue Jay Alex Rios doubled for Chicago, which has alternated wins and losses over its last eight contests.

"We look like the weather in Chicago," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Play very good one day, very bad the next and then very good and then get cold."

Rios has been one of the few bright spots offensively for the White Sox, batting .375 during an eight-game hitting streak. He's 7 for 21 against his former team this season.

The White Sox expect to have first baseman Paul Konerko back after he missed Thursday's game with a sore neck. He leads the majors with 12 home runs.

Chicago hopes ace Mark Buehrle (2-4, 5.30) can get back on track as he tries to avoid a fifth straight loss.

Since throwing seven scoreless innings to beat Cleveland on opening day, Buehrle hasn't allowed less than four runs in any of his next five starts. He gave up five in 4 2-3 innings of a 12-3 loss at New York on Sunday.

"It's obviously frustrating. It's a combination of things, not making good pitches," said Buehrle, who hasn't lost five in a row since April 14-May 12, 2008.

Buehrle, however, is 5-3 with a 2.78 ERA in 12 starts versus the Blue Jays. The left-hander has a 1.53 ERA while winning his last four home starts versus Toronto.