Baltimore Orioles batter Matt Wieters (32) celebrates in the dugout with teammates after he hit a home run against the New York Yankees in the fourth inning of their MLB American League game at Yankee Stadium in New York September 1, 2012.RAY STUBBLEBINE/Reuters
The Toronto Blue Jays begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Monday.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Monday: Toronto LHP J.A. Happ (3-1, 4.58 earned-run average) vs. Baltimore LHP Joe Saunders (0-1, 10.13).
Tuesday: Toronto RHP Carlos Villanueva (7-4, 3.10) vs. Baltimore LHP Zach Britton (4-1, 4.80).
Wednesday: Toronto RHP Brandon Morrow (8-5, 2.93) vs. Baltimore RHP Miguel Gonzalez (6-3, 3.31).
NEED TO KNOW
Who would have predicted at the beginning of the season that the Baltimore Orioles would still be in the thick of a pennant race in September with the Blue Jays languishing in last place in the American League East? But that is the scenario as the Orioles, with a young pitching staff, have been the most surprising team of the 2012 season. The Orioles think they may have added a key ingredient to their postseason drive when they traded for veteran left-handed pitcher Joe Saunders on Aug. 26. Saunders will make his second start for his new team on Monday. Baltimore's performance this year is incredible when you consider that, heading into play on Sunday, they had scored 557 runs while allowing 597. Their success has hinged on a solid 24-7 record in one-run games. Robert MacLeod