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Jackson looks to continue hot streak vs. Blue Jays

Aug 28, 2008 - 10:08 AM TORONTO (68-64) at TAMPA BAY (80-51), 7:10pm EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- The top end of the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching rotation - All-Star Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza - may get most of the attention, but Edwin Jackson has been the team's most dependable starter over the last six weeks.

Facing six more weeks of the playoff race, the Rays will need more of the same. Jackson (10-8, 3.93 ERA) takes the hill on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Despite recurring high pitch counts and a tendency to walk too many hitters, Jackson has been on a tear lately, winning five of his last six starts and holding his opponents to two runs or less in all but one of them. Posting a stellar 2.86 ERA during that stretch, Jackson has been a key reason why the Rays have been able to hold off the Boston Red Sox in the American League East, where they still hold a 3 1/2-game lead.

The last team to give him trouble is the Jays. In a July 20 meeting with Toronto at home, he failed to get out of the fifth inning, being shelled for six runs and eight hits in a 9-4 loss.

But he's been at his best since - and even earned retribution against the Blue Jays 10 days later, holding them to two runs in five innings en route to a 3-2 Rays victory.

The Blue Jays will counter with Jesse Litsch (9-7, 4.01), who hasn't given up a run in his last two starts after snapping a personal three-game losing streak. The second-year righthander held the Boston Red Sox to three hits in six innings in his last effort, an 11-0 win on August 23.