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Orioles-Blue Jays Preview

May 29, 2010 - 10:52 PM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Baltimore (15-34) at Toronto (28-22), 1:07 p.m. EDT

With two games remaining in May, the Toronto Blue Jays have already set a franchise record for the most home runs in a single month.

Given how things have gone this year for the Baltimore Orioles, they may not be too anxious to pitch to their division rivals anytime soon.

Looking to increase their home run total, Toronto also will try to win its sixth straight over the last-place Orioles on Sunday in the finale of their weekend set.

The homer-happy Blue Jays (29-22) launched four more in a 5-2 win Saturday, raising their major league-leading total to 85. Lyle Overbay hit two for his first multihomer game of the year, and Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells each went deep for the second straight game.

Toronto has hit 50 home runs in May. They have six in the series, and 11 in five wins against the Orioles this year.

"They are an ambush-type team," Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said. "They don't take a whole lot, they don't walk a whole lot. They go up there looking to swing. If you make mistakes, they don't foul them straight back, they hit them."

Wells' one-out drive in the eighth inning snapped a 2-2 tie. The Blue Jays center fielder has 13 in 50 games after hitting 15 in 158 contests in 2009.

Baltimore hopes to slow down Toronto by sending out Jeremy Guthrie (3-4, 3.64 ERA). The right-hander has surrendered only seven homers in 64 1-3 innings.

Guthrie struggled early in 2010, going 0-4 with a 4.78 ERA in his first six starts, but has been outstanding in four starts since, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.03 ERA. He surrendered one run for the third consecutive game and six hits over six innings of a 5-1 win over Oakland on Tuesday.

Guthrie has made five starts at Rogers Centre, and is 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA while yielding five homers in 37 innings.

Baltimore has dropped four in a row overall and seven straight in Toronto.

Coming off his poorest outing of the year, Ricky Romero (4-2, 3.42) will take the mound for Toronto in search of his first win in three starts.

Romero gave up seven runs and 11 hits - tying career worsts - over 5 1-3 innings in an 8-3 road loss to the Angels on Tuesday. Romero, a Los Angeles native, played in front of about 200 friends and family members, but didn't use that as an excuse.

"I always have adrenaline, no matter what. But I didn't put any extra pressure on myself," Romero said. "It kind of stinks that I didn't put on a good performance - not only for them, but for my team. And to not be able to come up with a good performance here was definitely disappointing."

The left-hander was 0-2 with a 5.47 ERA in four starts against Baltimore last year.

Nick Markakis is 4 for 13 with two doubles and a home run against Romero. The Orioles right fielder went 2 for 4 Saturday, and is hitting .368 over his last 10 games.