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Blue Jays hope to continue dominance of Orioles

Jun 3, 2011 - 2:35 PM (Sports Network) - The Toronto Blue Jays simply dominated the AL East-rival Baltimore Orioles a year ago and look to keep that trend going when they head to Camden Yards tonight for the opener of a three-game series.

The Blue Jays squared off with Baltimore 18 times a year ago, winning 15 of those matchups, and took six of nine meetings on the road.

Toronto went 4-3 on a seven-game homestand and lost the last two portions of a three-game series versus the Cleveland Indians. In Wednesday's 13-9 loss to the Tribe, Rajai Davis belted a three-run homer and finished with four RBI and home run leader Jose Bautista knocked in a pair of runs for the Blue Jays, who nearly battled back from a 12-0 deficit and will also visit Kansas City for four games on this upcoming road swing.

"We continued to battle and give ourselves opportunities, but given the 12-run deficit that the first three innings had in store for us ... it was a huge hole to come back from," said Blue Jays manager John Farrell.

Bautista, who leads the league in All-Star voting, has reached base safely in 45 of his 48 games this season and leads the majors with 20 home runs. Yunel Escobar went 0-for-3 versus the Indians and had his hitting streak halted at 12 games. He batted .370 with three homers and seven RBI during the run. Jays starter Kyle Drabek lasted only two-thirds of an inning and allowed four runs and three hits to fall to 3-4.

Carlos Villanueva will handle pitching duties for Toronto this evening and is 2-0 with a 2.62 earned run average in 15 games, two of which have been starts. He last took the hill in a 9-8 win over the Chicago White Sox and did not figure into the decision, permitting six runs -- five earned -- in five innings of work.

The right-hander is in his first season with the Blue Jays and did not record a decision the only time he faced Baltimore in his career.

Baltimore ended a five-game losing streak and salvaged both the finale of a three-game series in Seattle and the last test in a six-game road trip with Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Mariners.

The Orioles, who are back home for a nine-game residency versus the Blue Jays, Athletics and Rays, welcomed back starter Brian Matusz and he allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings in the no-decision. Matusz was on the disabled list since the start of the season because of a strained left intercostal muscle.

Jim Johnson got the win with 1 1/3 innings of relief, while Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy both homered for Baltimore. Jones is batting .357 with 16 RBI since May 2 (28 games) and has multiple hits in 12 of those contests.

"I don't want to call it a big game," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said on the club's site, "but I think emotionally it was a good win for us in a lot of ways."

Rookie Zach Britton draws the assignment tonight and he's 5-3 with a 2.93 earned run average in 11 starts. He is 0-2 in his last five starts and was banged around for six runs and 10 hits over 5 2/3 frames in Sunday's 6-4 loss at Oakland. The lefty is 3-1 in seven home starts and has never faced Toronto.