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Blue Jays, Indians continue series in Cleveland

Jul 9, 2011 - 2:41 PM (Sports Network) - A four-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians continues this evening at Progressive Field.

Toronto is four games below the .500 mark this season and 11 games back in the AL East.

As for the Indians, they continue to cling to the top spot in the AL Central, but are just a half-game up on second-place Detroit.

Toronto's Brandon Morrow got off to a 2-4 start, but the fact that he has won his last three decisions is certainly promising. Morrow is now 5-4 with a 4.73 ERA and is coming off a triumph over Boston despite not having his best stuff in that affair.

On a down note, Morrow was hammered in his only previous start versus Cleveland this season and is 1-3 lifetime versus the Indians with a 5.96 ERA.

Slated to oppose Morrow for Cleveland is Josh Tomlin, one of the American League's most successful hurlers this season. Tomlin has already reached double digits in wins (10-4) and owns a solid 3.78 ERA. He pitched six no-hit innings against the Yankees on Monday and yielded just two runs over seven frames in total.

Tomlin earned a win over the Blue Jays earlier this season, but the righty hardly pitched well considering the fact that he yielded six earned runs on eight hits in six innings.

On Friday, Travis Snider knocked in five runs, which included a two-run homer, as the Blue Jays staved off another comeback from the Indians and won 11-7 in the second tilt of a four-game series.

Rajai Davis went 3-for-4 and brought in four runs for Toronto, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Edwin Encarnacion had four hits and scored four times.

Jo-Jo Reyes (4-7) got the win for the Jays, allowing three unearned runs on eight hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings.

Travis Buck pushed across two runs with a double to spark a potential eighth- inning rally for the Tribe. But the threat was stifled as the Indians lost for just the third time in nine games.

Cleveland left 13 runners on base and was just 6-for-22 with runners in scoring position one game after five times in the ninth inning to take Thursday's opener, 5-4 on Travis Hafner's grand slam.

Michael Brantley ended with four hits and knocked in a pair of runs, while starter Mitch Talbot (2-6) suffered the loss for Cleveland. Talbot, who has now lost his last five decision, was roughed up for eight runs on 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Cleveland took two of three from the Blue Jays earlier in the year and has won nine of its last 12 against them.