Music: {allcanada} LAWRIE TO MAKE BIG LEAGUE DEBUT AS BLUE JAYS VISIT ORIOLES

Friday, August 5, 2011

{allcanada} LAWRIE TO MAKE BIG LEAGUE DEBUT AS BLUE JAYS VISIT ORIOLES

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The Toronto Blue Jays' offence, which has tallied three runs or less in four of its last six games, should get a boost with the addition of infielder Brett Lawrie, the team's top prospect, who will make his big league debut tonight at third base.

The Blue Jays open a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards this evening.

In 69 games at Triple-A Las Vegas, the third baseman batted .353 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI.

"This is a guy that we've had a lot of expectations on," Toronto manager John Farrell said. "That's not to create more of a hysteria situation, than the attention that's going to follow him, but he has done everything we've asked at Triple-A."

Heading to the hill for the Blue Jays tonight will be lefty Brad Mills, who will be making his second start of the season. Mills lost his initial outing to the Rangers on Saturday, despite surrendering just two runs and six hits in seven innings of a 3-0 loss.

"Regardless of what the radar gun says, he's got life through the zone," Farrell said. "He's got a quick arm, he's got deception. He's got a well-above-average changeup to create some separation and slow some bats down. It's more about the life and the quickness through the zone versus just the raw velocity."

Prior to his callup Mills had been one of the Pacific Coast League's most reliable pitchers and led Las Vegas in innings (130 2/3), ERA (3.99), wins (nine), strikeouts (114) and WHIP (1.29).

Mills beat the Orioles the only other time he faced them last season, scattering a pair of hits over seven scoreless innings.

Toronto is coming off a loss on Thursday, falling 7-6 in 12 innings to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Jays had taken the lead in the 10th and 11th innings, only to see the Rays rally before eventually winning it on Robinson Chirinos' RBI single.

Jose Bautista belted his major league-leading 33rd home run of the season in the loss. However, he is a career .191 hitter at Camden Yards with six homers in 28 games.

Tommy Hunter makes his first start for Baltimore.

A 13-game winner for Texas a year ago, Hunter was injured in spring training this year and never really got it going for the Rangers, who sent him to Baltimore as part of the Koji Uehara deal last Saturday.

Hunter, who is 1-1 on the year with a 3.31 ERA, gave up a run in his Orioles debut on Tuesday, but was credited with a hold in his team's 8-2 triumph over the Kansas City Royals.

The Orioles lost for the fifth time in their last six games on Thursday, dropping a 9-4 decision to the Royals in the rubber match of a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium.

J.J. Hardy hit a solo home run for the AL-worst Orioles, while Zach Britton (6-9) dropped his third straight start and was tagged for six runs -- four earned -- on 12 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

"I don't know why the sink's not there. I've always had sink. Is it I'm getting tired? That's kind of where I'm at right now," said Britton. "I feel like my mechanics are fine. It's just that things aren't sharp out of my hand right now."

Hardy left the game with an ankle injury and is questionable for tonight's affair.

Toronto has won six of nine meetings with the O's this season and have won 21 of 27 games against them since the start of last season, while posting an 8-4 mark in Camden in that time.