Right-hander Josh Johnson will try to break through for the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night when they host the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a three-game interleague series at Rogers Centre.
A 6-foot-7, 249-pounder, the oft-injured Johnson is winless in six starts for the Blue Jays since arriving in Toronto after 154 big-league appearances with the Florida and Miami Marlins.
Johnson won 15 and 11 games with the Marlins in 2009 and 2010, respectively, but has won just 11 times since in 46 games, including the half-dozen since an offseason trade to the Blue Jays.
He's made two starts in June and is 0-1 with a no-decision while allowing 11 hits and four earned runs in 12 innings against San Francisco and Texas.
Johnson is 2-1 in six career meetings with the Rockies.
Colorado goes with Mexican-born lefty Jorge De La Rosa, who's 0-1 with a no- decision since winning five straight decisions.
The 32-year-old defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2, with a seven-inning effort on June 2, but has allowing 15 hits and seven runs in two games since against San Diego and Washington.
The two outings have swelled his earned run average from 3.10 to 3.49.
In two career meetings with the Blue Jays, De La Rosa is 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA in 7 2/3 innings.
On Sunday in Denver, Jhoulys Chacin was incredibly efficient in pitching the Rockies past the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2, in the rubber match of a three- game series.
Chacin (5-3) retired 14 in a row and one point and was one out away from his second career shutout before giving up run-scoring hits to Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. The late hiccup did not take away from his outing, as the right- hander gave up just six hits and two runs over 8 2/3 frames to pick up the victory.
The Rockies pushed three runs across against Cole Hamels, one coming on Wilin Rosario's home run in the second inning, and Colorado got some insurance in the eighth on Carlos Gonzalez's two-run homer.
In Texas, Chien-Ming Wang's terrific start and three Toronto home runs capped the Blue Jays' four-game sweep, 7-2, and sent the Texas Rangers to their longest losing streak in three years.
Wang (1-0) gave up seven hits in seven scoreless innings, struck out five and walked two in picking up his first victory of the season.
Adam Lind hit a three-run homer, J.P. Arencibia added a two-run shot and Colby Rasmus also went deep for the Jays, who have rattled off five straight wins for the first time since July 8-15, 2011.
The Rockies and Blue Jays split the first 12 games in the all-time series, with the home team winning each time. Colorado swept Toronto by scores of 5-3, 1-0 and 10-3 when they met for three games at Coors Field in 2010.
They last met in Toronto in 2007, with the Blue Jays winning by 9-8, 11-6 and 5-0 counts.
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