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Indians-Blue Jays Preview

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TORONTO -- The Cleveland Indians found out that they did not like to lose on Saturday when the Toronto Blue Jays beat them 9-6.

It has been a long time since they experienced the losing feeling. It was June 15 when they lost 9-4 to the Kansas City Royals.

Between losses they won 14 games, the longest winning streak in club history.

"Losing is hard, I don't care," Indians manager Terry Francona said after the game Saturday.

The loss was only the seventh by the Indians in their last 30 games. Before the Blue Jays used a three-run eighth to beat them on Saturday, they had won eight in a row on the road as well.

The Indians were down to the Blue Jays 3-1 and 5-3 and came back to gain a 6-5 lead.

"We showed a lot of what we're about," catcher Chris Gimenez said. "We got down a few times early in the game and were able to claw back. Especially after last night (a 2-1 win in 19 innings), I think it could have been easy for a lot of guys to just kind of throw in the towel and say, 'Hey, we'll get them tomorrow.'

"I think it shows a lot of what this team is about. We've got something special going on here."

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was impressed by the way both team played after the marathon on Friday.

"It was a big game, you could feel it," Gibbons said. "Everybody was tired. Both teams were exhausted. A number of guys on both teams were down, things like that.

"But both teams put on a pretty good show. A good entertaining game. We needed that win more than they did."

Gibbons and Edwin Encarnacion missed nearly all of the game Friday after being ejected because they argued balls and strikes in the first inning.

"Myself and Eeddie were the most rested guys on either team," Gibbons said.

Encarnacion made his presence felt in the first inning Saturday with a three-run homer.

The Indians will try to start a new winning streak Sunday when they send out right-hander Corey Kluber (8-7. 3.50 ERA) against Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ (10-3, 3.70 ERA).

Both pitchers were 4-1 in June. The difference is how they did it. Kluber had a 2.19 ERA in five starts, holding opponents to a .154 batting average and a .194 on-base percentage.

Happ had a 5.28 ERA in June.

Kluber is 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA in three career starts against the Blue Jays.

While the Indians have been surging, the Blue Jays have been hanging on. The win Saturday was only their fifth in the last 13 games,

The Blue Jays will try to salvage a split of the series Sunday, and get two wins in a row.

Josh Donaldson, who tied the game Saturday with a home run and singled in the go-ahead runs, is not fussy. He will take the wins where they come.

"Any win is important, no matter if you've won 14 in a row or lost 14 in a row," Donaldson said. "It's major-league baseball, and it's going to come down to the wire. We'll take every win."