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Blue Jays-Diamondbacks Preview

May 21, 2010 - 6:54 AM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Toronto (25-18) at Arizona (18-24), 9:40 p.m. EDT

Though they will lose the designated hitter heading into an NL park, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to have an excellent opportunity to increase their major league-leading home run total.

The Blue Jays look to take advantage of struggling Arizona Diamondbacks pitching as they open a three-game series Friday night.

Toronto (25-18) won six of seven before losing 4-3 to Seattle on Thursday.

Still, the Blue Jays got a home run from Jose Bautista to give them 66 this year. That's eight more than Boston and 12 more than Arizona (18-24), which leads the NL in that category.

A series in Arizona seems to play to Toronto's strength. The Diamondbacks have given up a major league-worst 63 homers and their 5.66 ERA also ranks last.

The Diamondbacks will next give the ball to Dan Haren (4-3, 4.83), who finds himself in a rut after two years as one of the team's top starters. He has posted an 8.44 ERA in losing his last two starts.

The right-hander allowed seven runs and eight hits - two homers - in 4 1-3 innings of a 13-1 loss to Atlanta on Sunday.

Haren is 11-3 with a 2.88 ERA in 18 interleague starts. He is 4-1 with a 5.77 ERA in six career outings against the Blue Jays.

Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells is 6 for 17 (.353) with two homers against Haren. Wells has 11 home runs, one less than Bautista for the team lead.

Wells was the DH on Thursday and Adam Lind was in left field, perhaps in anticipation for this series. Lind, the Blue Jays' regular DH, is one of the team's top power hitters.

"I had been thinking about that," manager Cito Gaston told the Blue Jays' official website. "When a guy's going good, it's hard to take him out of there."

If Lind plays the field, that would likely leave regular left fielder Fred Lewis as the odd man out.

Arizona's lineup, meanwhile, certainly shouldn't be discounted. The Diamondbacks scored 21 runs in a two-game sweep of San Francisco, getting five off two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum in an 8-7 victory Thursday night.

"This does show everyone what this team is capable of," manager A.J. Hinch said. "We can play a little bit when we put our minds to it and maintain our approach."

Mark Reynolds hit his 100th career home run and had three RBIs. The third baseman leads Arizona with 33 RBIs.

Reynolds and the Diamondbacks will face Toronto's Brandon Morrow (3-3, 6.15) for the first time. He has given up three runs or fewer in five of his last six starts.

The right-hander surrendered two runs and struck out eight in six innings of a 5-2 victory over Texas on Sunday.

These teams are meeting for the first time since June 2004, when the Diamondbacks won two of three in Toronto.