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Red-hot Blue Jays go for ninth straight win

Sep 8, 2008 - 2:23 PM Toronto (76-66) at Chi White Sox (80-62), 8:11 p.m. EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Toronto Blue Jays seem to love playing the role of spoiler.

Toronto goes for its ninth straight victory Monday when they open a four-game series at the American League Central Division-leading Chicago White Sox.

The Blue Jays' biggest winning streak since April 14-22, 1999 has all come against teams with winning records.

Toronto helped diminish the postseason hopes of the New York Yankees with a pair of victories over a week ago and then swept the playoff-hopeful Minnesota Twins and the AL East Division-leading Tampa Bay Rays in a pair of three-game sets last week. The hot stretch has also catapulted Toronto into third place in the AL East.

A.J. Burnett (16-10, 4.47 ERA) hopes to continue Toronto's hot play. The righthander, who is winless in his last three starts since a personal six-game winning streak, gave up three runs over 6 2/3 innings but did not factor in the decision during Toronto's 5-4, 11-inning victory over Minnesota on Wednesday.

Javier Vazquez (11-12, 4.34) will take the mound for Chicago, which leads Minnesota by 2 1/2 games in the division. The righthander won his last start, allowing two runs over six innings against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.

The White Sox, who recently lost slugger Carlos Quentin possibly for the season with a wrist injury, took two out of three from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this past weekend.