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Godzilla, A's head to Toronto

Aug 9, 2011 - 2:36 PM (Sports Network) - The Oakland Athletics' nine-game road trip didn't get off to the best of starts, but some power from a surging veteran helped right the ship a bit.

Hideki Matsui tries to extend his 15-game hitting streak this evening in the opener of a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Matsui has been on a tear since the All-Star break, hitting .451 in 21 games with five homers and 22 RBI. He extended his hitting streak on Sunday with a two-run homer, while Josh Willingham clinched a 5-4 victory with a 10th-inning long ball.

Oakland won the final two games of its set with Tampa Bay after losing the first four contests of its current swing.

"Everyone contributed. It felt good," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "It was a good win for us."

While the 37-year-old Matsui has been red-hot for Oakland, Toronto is getting a look at is future and has to like what it see so far out of 21-year-old Brett Lawrie.

Lawrie made his MLB debut in the opener of a three-game series with Baltimore over the weekend and went 5-for-11 with a pair of RBI in the three games. He hit his first career homer in Sunday's 7-2 win, a solo shot.

"I feel very comfortable out there now," Lawrie told Toronto's website. "It's the same game. Breaking pitches are thrown for strikes a little bit more, but I think it's just a bigger stadium, and the game seems maybe a little bit faster, a tad faster. But it's the same game."

Jose Bautista and J.P. Arencibia both hit two-run doubles to help the Blue Jays split a six-game road trip. Ricky Romero yielded two runs over eight innings to get the win.

Brett Cecil follows Romero's outing tonight and he had won consecutive starts over the Rangers, including a four-hit shutout in Texas on July 24, before a no-decision versus Tampa Bay on Thursday. He allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over six innings.

The 25-year-old lefty has still won three straight decisions and hasn't lost since July 5. He is 4-4 with a 4.35 earned run average in 11 starts this year and is 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA lifetime versus Oakland.

Cecil has struggled versus Matsui, who is 5-for-8 with a double, two homers and six RBI lifetime against him.

The A's hope to field a healthier lineup versus Cecil after sitting three players in Sunday's game. Conor Jackson missed his second straight game due to a back injury, while Coco Crisp, who stole four bases on Saturday, sat out due to a strained right calf.

Cliff Pennington, meanwhile, was given the day off for precautionary reasons stemming from a recent bout with Bell's Palsy.

Rich Harden draws the start tonight for Oakland and is 2-2 with a 4.63 ERA in six starts this season.

The right-hander made his first start on Tuesday since a deal to Boston prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline fell through and took a loss at Seattle. Harden was charged with four runs on five hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven.

"He made two mistakes and it cost him four runs ... Other than that, he was terrific again," Melvin said of Harden.

The 29-year-old Harden has never beaten the Blue Jays, going 0-3 with a 5.74 ERA in eight starts.

Toronto won two of three over Oakland at home back in April and has won 18 of the past 25 meetings in this series.