(Sports Network) - Hiroki Kuroda hopes to keep the New York Yankees in sole possession of first place in the American League East on Friday when they continue a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Kuroda has not been sharp of late and lost to Oakland on Sunday, surrendering five runs (4 earned) and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, as he dropped to 14-11 to go along with a 3.34 ERA. He also walked three batters, the first time he walked more than two batters in a start since June 19.
"I was trying to hit those corners and was missing the plate," said Kuroda, who is pitching to a 6.75 ERA in September.
Kuroda tossed seven scoreless innings to beat the Blue Jays the last time he faced them, but allowed seven runs in five innings against them in a loss back on May 16.
Toronto will counter with righty Chad Jenkins, who will be making his second big league start after 10 bullpen appearances. Jenkins lost his first start on Sunday against Tampa Bay, despite a terrific outing that saw him surrender a run and two hits in five innings.
"It's a huge boost in confidence," Jenkins said. "I've thrown pretty well up here. There are a few things I need to fix, but for the most part it has been nice. It will definitely give me a leg up going into Spring Training next year."
He is 0-2 on the year with a 4.24 ERA.
"He did a very good job for us," manager John Farrell said. "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."
Toronto cruised in Thursday's opener, as Brandon Morrow tossed seven scoreless innings and Edwin Encarnacion went 3-for-4 with three RBI, as the last-place Blue Jays kept the Yankees from padding their AL East lead with to a 6-0 victory.
The loss moved the idle Baltimore Orioles within one game of New York with six to play.
Morrow (9-7) scattered four hits and three walks while striking out three for the Blue Jays, who were coming off a split of a four-game series in Baltimore.
"I was just trying to put up strikes the whole time and stay within myself," Morrow admitted. "I wasn't overthrowing. I thought I had pretty good stuff."
Brett Lawrie went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, while J.P. Arencibia also had two hits, including a solo shot, in the win.
Ivan Nova (12-8) surrendered four runs on six hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings to take the loss, New York's third in five games.
New York has won nine of 15 from the Jays this season.
Elsewhere in the American League with playoff implications:
Orioles resume playoff push, welcome Red Sox to town
(Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles continue to push towards their first postseason appearance since 1997. They try to get one step closer to securing a spot on Friday when they begin a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards.
Baltimore enters this set trailing the New York Yankees by one game in the American League East standings, but still maintains a three-game edge for one of the two wild cards.
"There's no stress in here, there's no pressure on us," outfielder Adam Jones said Wednesday. "We're not supposed to be here according to everybody in the media. We're just playing. We know what's at stake."
Baltimore managed just its second win in five games on Wednesday, as Chris Davis and Manny Machado each homered twice and Orioles, who tied a franchise single-game record for home runs to come through with a 12-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Orioles belted seven homers as a team, including three during a five-run fifth inning.
"This is one of those years where everyone is just trying to pass the baton and have a good at-bat," O's manager Buck Showalter said.
Davis finished with five RBI, delivering a three-run homer in the fifth and a two-run shot in the seventh, while the rookie Machado put together his first multi-homer game in the majors and knocked in three runs in the rout.
Nate McLouth, Jim Thome and Mark Reynolds also went deep to back seven sharp innings from Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez (8-4). The rookie held the Blue Jays to two runs and five hits while walking just one.
Hoping for similar support on Friday will be Chris Tillman, who has become the team's ace in the second half and is 8-2 with a 3.08 ERA. Tillman did not get a decision against the Red Sox on Sunday, but pitched well, as he allowed a run and six hits in six innings of a 2-1 setback.
"He gave us a really good chance," manager Buck Showalter said of Tillman. "If we had done a couple of things defensively, he would have probably pitched seven or eight [innings]. Tilly threw the ball well, and [we] had some good innings out of the bullpen."
Tillman has faced the Red Sox four times and is 0-1 with a 4.24 ERA.
The Red Sox will counter with veteran right-hander Aaron Cook, who is 4-10 with a 5.13 ERA. Cook was awful his last time out on Saturday against the O's, but escaped without getting a decision, despite surrendering five runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 frames of his team's 9-6 loss.
Cook is 0-2 in three starts versus the Orioles with an 8.78 ERA.
Boston, meanwhile, continues to stumble toward the finish line and enters this series having lost six of seven after getting swept in a two-game set by the Tampa Bay Rays.
"We didn't walk off many and we didn't score enough runs here. We have a lot stored up for next year," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said of his team's struggles at home this season.
Baltimore took two of three from the Red Sox last weekend and is 10-5 against them this season.
White Sox aim to avoid 4th straight loss in clash with Rays
(Sports Network) - President Barack Obama may have put the jinx on his Chicago White Sox a few days ago when he told a crowd in Woodbridge, Va., they would meet the Washington Nationals in the World Series.
The White Sox could miss the playoffs all together with losses in three straight and eight of nine games. They look to get untracked tonight in the second portion of a four-game series versus the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays.
Evan Longoria's solo home run off of Brett Myers in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference in a 3-2 decision and pushed Chicago two games back of the Detroit Tigers for the American League Central lead. Detroit won its fourth in a row against Kansas City on Thursday.
White Sox starter Jake Peavy struck out six and gave up two runs over 7 1/3 innings in the no-decision. Kevin Youkilis had three hits and Dayan Viciedo drove in a run for the White Sox, who are 1-3 on a seven-game homestand.
"The efforts there, everybody's grinding, giving everything they've got, it's just not happening," White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said.
The White Sox need a strong outing from Gavin Floyd this evening and the right-hander will make his fourth start since coming off the disabled list. Floyd is 1-2 since his return and was roughed up in Sunday's 4-1 loss at the La Angels of Anaheim, charged with four runs in six innings.
Floyd fell below the .500 mark at 10-11 in his 27th start and has a 4.56 earned run average in that span. He has pitched well at U.S. Cellular Field, going 7-4 with a 4.74 ERA in 16 starts, and is 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA in five career starts against the Rays.
Tampa Bay extended its season-high winning streak to eight games thanks to Longoria's big blast in the top of the ninth. The club was able to pull within two games of the final wild card berth in the American League, but the LA Angels of Anaheim also sit two games off the mark.
"It's one game. I hate to bring down the mood, but it doesn't put us ahead," Longoria said. "It brings us a little closer, but it doesn't guarantee anything."
Luke Scott finished 2-for-3 with a home run for the Rays, who last won eight straight from Sept. 24, 2011-April 8, 2012. Tampa Bay won a franchise-best 12 in a row from June 9-22, 2004.
Joel Peralta earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning and Fernando Rodney worked around a two-out base hit by Youkilis to record his 46th save of the season. James Shields pitched the first 6 1/3 innings and allowed two runs and six hits with six Ks and four walks.
Jeremy Hellickson can keep the Rays' playoff hopes alive with a decent outing tonight and ended a five-start winless drought (0-2) his last time out in a 3-0 win over Toronto on Sunday. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year struck out six and allowed two walks over 5 2/3 shutout innings.
The win lifted his record to 9-10 in 29 starts with a 3,20 earned run average. In 12 starts on the road, Hellickson is 4-3 with a 2.93 ERA and has never faced the White Sox.
Chicago swept an early-season series against the Rays from May 28-30 and has won six of the past 10 matchups between the two clubs.
Weaver eyes 20th win as Angels open big set with Rangers
(Sports Network) - Jered Weaver tries to become the American League's first 20-game winner and keep the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the wild card mix on Friday when they open a three-game series with the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Los Angeles trails the Oakland Athletics by two games for the final wild card and are six back of the Rangers in the American League West with six games to go.
"Obviously there's a little bit of scoreboard watching as we dwindle down here, and it kind of sucks that we don't get to play Oakland here at the end," Weaver said after setting a new career high with 19 wins. "That'd be pretty exciting. But we have to do what we have to do, and that's win ballgames. We can't worry about what other teams are doing. We just have to go out there and keep winning.
Weaver won his third straight start on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox, as he allowed a run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings to improve to 19-4, while lowering his ERA to 2.74.
He is 3-1 this season against the Rangers, but is 12-7 lifetime against them with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts.
The Angels wasted a golden opportunity to get even closer to the A's on Thursday, as they were denied a sweep in the finale of their three-game set with the Seattle Mariners, falling 9-4.
Dan Haren (12-12) allowed three runs -- two earned -- on six hits in 5 1/3 innings for Los Angeles, which had its winning streak snapped at five games.
The Angels, though, did not fall any further behind the A's, who lost to the Rangers, 9-7.
Mike Napoli hit a two-run home run and drove in three to power the Rangers, while Ian Kinsler homered and scored twice as Texas earned a split in the series after dropping the last two contests and reduced its magic number to clinch the AL West to three.
"It's not always the best team that wins, but the one that plays the best," said Texas manager Ron Washington. "They played two games better than they did, we played two games better than they did. You can't look back, just look forward. They're still looking up at us."
Matt Harrison (18-10) allowed seven hits and four runs over six innings to win for the third time in his last four starts. Joe Nathan tossed a perfect ninth for his 36th save.
Getting the call for Texas on Friday will be right-hander Ryan Dempster, who has won seven of his nine decisions since being acquired from the Chicago Cubs, but has pitched to a 4.48 ERA. He racked up another victory on Sunday in Seattle, as he held the Mariners to a pair of runs and six hits and struck out eight in 6 2/3 innings.
"Dempster was really good," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "He kept us off balance all day long. I mean, he's a veteran pitcher. He knows how to get big league hitters out. I thought he was really good today."
Overall, Dempster is 12-7 on the year with a 3.07 ERA.
Dempster is 0-1 in two starts this season versus the Halos and has been ripped for 13 runs and 15 hits in only eight innings of those outings.
These two teams have split 16 meetings this season, but Texas has won four of its last five.
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