Music: {allcanada} BLUE JAYS MEET WILD CARD-LEADING ORIOLES FOR DOUBLEHEADER

The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to play spoiler as they head to Camden Yards to face the Baltimore Orioles for a Monday doubleheader.

Toronto has lost six straight and 10 of 12 games, and was swept in back-to- back series against the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Blue Jays' slide continued with Sunday's 3-0 loss against the Rays, as Chad Jenkins pitched well in defeat and yielded a run in five innings.

"He did a very good job for us," Jays manager John Farrell said on the club's website. "From the second inning on, he did a much better job of controlling the strike zone in the bottom half. He came out early, kind of overthrowing a little bit, and some balls were elevated, but still, the one run allowed, two hits -- an outstanding job on his part."

Yunel Escobar had three hits and Anthony Gose went 2-for-4 in the loss.

Toronto is 0-6 on a 10-game road trip and will send Henderson Alvarez to the bump in the first game of this twinbill. Alvarez had a two-game winning streak stopped in Wednesday's 4-2 loss at Yankee Stadium and was touched for three runs in seven innings. He is just 2-6 in his last eight decisions and 9-13 with a 4.87 earned run average in 29 starts.

Alvarez, a right-hander, is 0-1 in two meetings with the Orioles this season and 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA in four career starts against them.

Ricky Romero has been brutal lately and gets the call this evening. Romero, who hasn't won since June 22 at Miami, is 0-13 with a 7.42 earned run average in his last 15 starts with the Jays going 1-14 in that time.

Romero pitched well in a 2-1 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday and did not figure into the decision with six innings of one-run ball. The southpaw defeated Baltimore back on May 29, giving up four runs in six frames of an 8-6 victory, and is 7-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 13 career starts in this series.

The Orioles haven't been to the playoffs since 1997 and are playing Monday's twinbill after an Aug. 26 contest was postponed because of rain.

Baltimore had a season-best six-game winning streak come to an end with Sunday's 2-1 loss at Boston in the finale of a three-game series. Cody Ross' RBI double off of Luis Ayala proved to be the game-winning run.

Chris Tillman's six innings of one-run ball were wasted for the wild card- leading Orioles, who won their 16th straight extra-inning affair on Saturday and were aiming for seven straight wins for the first time since an eight-game run April 22-May 1, 2005.

"He gave us a really good chance," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said about Tillman. "If we did a couple of thing defensively, he would have probably pitched seven or eight (innings)."

Manny Machado drove in Baltimore's only run and Chris Davis posted a team-best two hits in a losing cause.

Showalter's club is back at Camden Yards for a seven-game homestand versus the Blue Jays and Red Sox, and sits one game behind the New York Yankees for the American League East lead.

O's rookie Steve Johnson draws the start in the first game and is 3-0 with a 1.91 earned run average in 10 games (2 starts). He defeated Toronto back on Aug. 25 in an 8-2 win and allowed two runs in six innings. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA in seven games (2 starts) at home.

Another rookie will toe the rubber for Baltimore in the nightcap, as Wei-Yin Chen is slated to take the hill. Chen, though, is 0-2 in his last five starts and did not factor in the outcome of a 4-2 win at Seattle last Tuesday, when he permitted a pair of runs in 5 1/3 innings.

The left-handed Chen, who is 12-9 with a 3.98 ERA in 30 starts, is 6-5 in 16 home assignments and has never faced the Blue Jays.

The Orioles are 9-5 against the Blue Jays this season and have won five straight matchups between the teams at Camden Yards.

Sale aims to end Chicago's skid vs. Tribe

Chris Sale eyes his 18th win and tries to help the Chicago White Sox snap a five-game losing streak on Monday when they open a three-game series with the Cleveland Indians at U.S. Cellular Field.

Chicago was swept this weekend by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but was able to maintain sole possession of first place in the American League Central thanks to Detroit losing two of three to hapless Minnesota.

With 10 games to go, the White Sox hold a one-game lead on the Tigers and will now turn to Sale, who is in the AL Cy Young Award mix with a 17-7 mark and 2.82 ERA.

Chicago is 8-4 versus the Indians this season.

Pettitte, Yankees begin series with Twins

The Minnesota Twins seemed to relish their role as spoilers this past weekend. On Monday they get another chance at a potential playoff team when they open a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Target Field.

Minnesota lost the opener of its series with the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, but managed to sweep both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday, taking the first game, 10-4, before winning the night cap, 2-1, in 10 innings.

On Monday, though, the Twins go up against the American League East-leading Yankees, who have beaten them in 25 of the last 31 meetings. Plus they face Andy Pettitte, who has won nine straight decisions - including the playoffs - against the Twins and hasn't lost to them since April 30, 2001.

Pettitte returned from the disabled list to toss five scoreless innings and beat Toronto on Wednesday, as he improved to 4-3 to go along with a 2.97 ERA. It was his first start since a line drive fractured his leg back on June 27.

New York was denied a series sweep over the Oakland Athletics and had a seven- game winning streak stopped on Sunday, as it dropped a 5-4 decision after taking the first two games of the set in extra innings.

The Yankees still lead the division by a game over the Baltimore Orioles.

Verlander takes ball in opener versus Royals

Ace right-hander Justin Verlander kicks off the regular season's final week for the Detroit Tigers as they pursue a playoff spot in the opener of a four-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park.

The Tigers enter the second to last Monday of the season in a tight race in the American League Central Division, where they trail the Chicago White Sox by a game.

Detroit is unlikely to earn a postseason slot via a wild card. It trails the current wild card leaders - Baltimore and Oakland - by seven and six games, respectively.

Verlander, the AL's reigning Cy Young Award winner and MVP, has won three of his last four starts since an uncharacteristic four-start winless drought, defeating the White Sox, Cleveland and Oakland around a loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Tigers have won seven of the first 11 games between the teams in 2012, though Kansas City swept a three-game set at Kauffman Stadium from Aug. 28-30. Detroit won the 2011 season series, 11-7.

A's open pivotal set against Rangers

The Oakland Athletics hope to gain some ground in the American League West race on Monday when they begin an important four-game series with the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Monday's tilt is the first of seven meetings between the teams over the final 10 games.

The A's, who trail Texas by four games in the division, may catch a break as Rangers superstar Josh Hamilton is still recovering from a sinus problem that had been impacting his vision. He hasn't played since Tuesday.

The A's salvaged the finale of their three-game series with the New York Yankees on Sunday, as Cliff Pennington's RBI single in the sixth inning proved to be the difference in a 5-4 win.

Texas is 6-6 against the A's this season with four of those wins coming in Arlington.