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Twins-Blue Jays Preview

Jul 7, 2010 - 3:37 AM By JON PALMIERI STATS Editor

Minnesota (44-38) at Toronto (41-42), 7:07 p.m. EDT

It's no surprise that teams focus on slowing down the potent combination of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau when facing the Minnesota Twins.

They would be wise to pay close attention to Delmon Young as well.

Young looks to continue his hot hitting and help the Twins to a second straight victory over the sputtering Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.

Minnesota rallied for a 7-6 victory over Toronto on Tuesday in the opener of a six-game trip. Young went 3 for 3 with an RBI and scored the winning run while Mauer, Morneau and Jason Kubel all hit solo homers as the Twins (45-38) erased a three-run deficit and remained one-half game behind AL Central-leading Detroit.

Young, one of five contenders for the final spot on the AL All-Star team, is batting .363 (40 for 110) with four homers, 29 RBIs and 10 doubles in his last 30 games. His 56 RBIs tie him with Morneau for the team lead.

"I'm just getting lucky," Young said. "The first base hit could have been a diving play and the last one could have ended up right in his glove, too. It takes a bit of luck."

Teammate Michael Cuddyer is pulling for Young to earn his first All-Star nod.

"He deserves it," Cuddyer said. "He's come a long way in the three years that he's been here. He's playing for the team, and that's what's big. I know he's having individual success but it's not what's driving him. What's driving him is winning games and he's carrying us by knocking in runs."

Morneau is also swinging a hot bat, hitting .363 (24 for 66) with five homers and 13 RBIs in his last 16 games.

Toronto (41-43) has lost three straight and 12 of 15 to drop two games under .500 for the first time since April 28. Edwin Encarnacion, Lyle Overbay and Dewayne Wise homered for the Blue Jays, who lead the majors with 123.

All-Star Vernon Wells hopes to return to Toronto's lineup after he sat out Tuesday's game due to flu-like symptoms until striking out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. Wells is hitless in his last 18 at-bats.

Kevin Slowey (8-5, 4.57 ERA) looks to provide Minnesota with a second consecutive solid outing. Twins starters have a 5.13 ERA over the past 14 games, but Slowey did his part to lower that number last Wednesday. He limited Detroit to one run and four hits over six innings of a 5-1 victory.

The right-hander, who had surrendered 18 runs in his previous 12 1-3 innings, completed six innings for only the sixth time in 16 starts this season.

Slowey beat the Blue Jays 8-3 at Rogers Centre on May 17, yielding three runs and eight hits in five innings. He had been 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in his first four starts against Toronto.

Mark Rzepczynski is scheduled to make his season debut for the Jays in place of the injured Shaun Marcum. The left-hander went 2-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 11 starts during his 2009 rookie season and was a candidate to make the rotation out of spring training before breaking the middle finger on his left hand near the end of camp.

Rzepczynski went 4-3 with a 6.66 ERA for Triple-A Las Vegas but was 3-0 with a 2.41 ERA in his last three starts.