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Twins-Blue Jays Preview

May 18, 2010 - 4:14 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Minnesota (23-14) at Toronto (23-16), 12:37 p.m. EDT

The big hits Toronto has been collecting all season were nowhere to be found in its series opener against the Minnesota Twins, who got plenty of offense to easily end the Blue Jays' four-game winning streak.

Shaun Marcum looks like the ideal candidate to get them back on track.

Marcum is coming off perhaps his best start as he continues his impressive recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he'll try to improve to 3-0 this month when the Blue Jays wrap up their two-game set with the first-place Twins on Tuesday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

Marcum (2-1, 2.78 ERA) was an up-and-coming starter after going 21-13 with a 3.77 ERA from 2007-2008, but he missed all of last season after having reconstructive elbow surgery.

The right-hander looks no worse for the wear. He's allowed one run or fewer in three of his last four starts, holding Boston to two singles over seven scoreless innings in a 3-2 victory Wednesday.

"His record really doesn't show the way he's pitched," manager Cito Gaston said. "He's pitched outstanding. We just haven't been able to give him any runs a lot of the time. Even today, three runs, but he managed to hang on."

While Marcum hasn't been getting much run support, the Blue Jays (23-17) have typically been providing their staff with plenty of offense. Toronto leads the majors with 169 extra-base hits and 61 homers, including baseball's only trio with 10 apiece (Jose Bautista, Alex Gonzalez and Vernon Wells).

The Jays got a two-run homer from Bautista in the second inning of Monday's opener with Minnesota (24-14), but their other 10 hits were all singles in an 8-3 loss.

Marcum is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in three starts against the Twins, whom he hasn't faced since July 23, 2007.

If he needed a reminder of how unpleasant it can be to pitch to Justin Morneau, he got one Monday. The 2006 AL MVP, who's 3 for 5 against Marcum with two homers, went deep twice and is hitting .411 with six homers in May.

"(Morneau) picked us up big time," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He knocked in a lot of runs. That's why he's been an MVP, nights just like that."

Marcum won't be the only starter Tuesday who's feeling confident, as Carl Pavano (4-3, 3.30) has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his seven starts.

Pavano yielded two runs over seven innings in a 3-2 win over Chicago on Wednesday, a welcome relief after the Twins had been shut out in his two previous starts.

"My thought process is pretty simple: I need to get deep in the game and I need to shut these guys down," Pavano told the Twins' official website. "My last thought was if they were going to score me runs. I don't worry about that. I worry about my pitches and getting these guys back in the dugout."

Pavano is 1-2 with a 7.47 ERA in three starts at Toronto over the past two seasons, and he'll want to be particularly careful pitching to Wells. The two-time All-Star is 7 for 18 (.389) with three homers against Pavano.

The right-hander also will likely get to face third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, who's expected to be activated after being out since April 15 with a sore right shoulder.