Gildenbeschreibung » strikeouts over eight solid innings to get the win.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Blue Jays won their second game in a row, thumping the Twins 9-3 on Tuesday night but, like Sundays victory over the Orioles, the win came with a cost. Adam Lind, who has a history of lower back problems although none recently, was lifted for pinch hitter Josh Thole in the seventh inning after his back tightened on him. It happened, Lind said, in the fourth inning, although he stayed in the game as the designated hitter and singled and scored in the sixth. "I was just running to second base after my walk and it grabbed," said Lind. Lind missed time in 2011 and 2012 with back trouble before embarking on an offseason yoga regimen, meant to loosen his muscles and improve his flexibility, prior to 2013. Lind avoided the disabled list last season, a stated goal of his when he arrived to spring training. He continued to do yoga this past offseason and enjoys it so much he intends to continue practicing beyond his playing days. "I hope I feel better (Wednesday,) that would be a miracle," said Lind. Then, continuing the optimistic trend, he hoped Mother Nature would send some luck his way. Wednesdays wintry forecast suggests the second game of the series could be postponed, creating a doubleheader on Thursday. "Well hopefully it snows, for me, so that way I dont have to … its a day off for everybody," said Lind. Linds noticeable limp, his difficulty bending over to put on his shoes, his tone of voice and the look on his face belied his attempt to be positive. Hes been down this road before and admitted hes been playing with pain for the last four days. Before Sundays series finale in Baltimore, Lind was the first baseman in manager John Gibbons original lineup. By game time, Lind was the designated hitter, replaced by Edwin Encarnacion at first base. Lind wouldnt speculate on his status when asked whether hes recovered quickly in previous similar instances. "Im going to do whatever the trainers want me to do and hopefully in a couple of days Ill be fine," he said. If Lind is lost for any extended period of time, it would be a blow to the Blue Jays. Hes a key part of the middle of the lineup against right-handed starting pitching and is off to a hot start, hitting .324/.465/.500 with one home run, six RBI and nine walks. The Blue Jays lost infielder Maicer Izturis, likely for the season, in Sundays 11-3 against the Orioles. He suffered a complete tear of the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee when he slipped on the dugout steps. (SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Blue Jays opted to give veteran R.A. Dickey some extra rest after a groin injury knocked him out of his last start. The Cincinnati Reds usually cant get Johnny Cueto back out on the mound fast enough. The two six-game winners go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series at Cincinnatis Great American Ball Park. Dickey was previously in action last Saturday in Baltimore, exiting after 6 2/3 frames due to injury and taking a loss despite giving up just two earned runs. He was in line to start the opener of this set on Friday, but will now go on an extra three days of rest. The 39-year-old righty had a four-start unbeaten streak (2-0) snapped with the loss to the Orioles and is 6-5 on the year with a 4.08 earned run average. Dickey is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA in three previous meetings with the Reds. Cueto, meanwhile, is 6-5 with a 1.92 ERA on the year and logged six scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 11. He then took on the rival Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday and did not factor into a 6-5 win despite giving up just two runs over six frames. The righty, though, did struggle by allowing seven hits and four walks while notching just two strikeouts. Still, Cueto sits at 6-5 with a 1.92 ERA on the year. Cueto, 28, beat Toronto on June 25, 2009 the only other time he faced the club, but did give up five runs over six frames of work. The Reds blew an early 8-0 lead in losing Friidays opener, but did not make the same mistake last night en route to an 11-1 triumph that evened the series.dddddddddddd Each of the Reds first seven hitters contributed an RBI, with Jay Bruce and Devin Mesoraco homering to help Cincinnati snap a two-game skid and win for the seventh time in 10 games. Mike Leake allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts over eight solid innings to get the win. "What (Leake) did today by staying in the game for eight innings and giving us a chance to win the game, was save our bullpen," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "It was hopefully something that will pay dividends (Sunday)." J.A. Happ was roughed up for eight runs -- seven earned -- over four innings of work for the Blue Jays, who have lost four of their last five and fell to 3-6 on a 10-game road trip. Like Dickey on Friday, the Blue Jays will give shortstop Jose Reyes some precautionary rest today after he fouled a ball off his leg in the fifth inning of Saturdays loss. Reyes came out of the game and is day-to-day. "I have to ice it like three more times tonight and see how it feels tomorrow," Reyes said on Torontos official website. "Right now its a little bit sore, but its not a big deal. "(Manager John Gibbons) went to my locker and said he was going to give me the day off. Its OK, Ill take that and see what happens." Toronto is 9-5 versus Cincinnati dating back to the 2003 campaign. ' ' '