Toronto (47-40) at Baltimore (38-45)

Cory Lidle’s brilliant season has taken a sudden turn for the worse.

The veteran right-hander hopes to get back on track when the struggling Toronto Blue Jays resume a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

Lidle, acquired as a free agent this past offseason to bolster Toronto’s rotation, joined teammate Roy Halladay as a 10-game winner with an 8-4 victory at Montreal on June 20.

While Halladay has improved his win total to a major league-leading 12, Lidle has fallen on hard times, surrendering 13 runs and 16 hits over 10 1-3 innings in consecutive losses.

On Monday, he was pounded for six runs—five in the fifth inning—and eight hits over six innings in a 6-2 loss at major league-worst Detroit.

“I actually think I threw the ball pretty well tonight,” Lidle said. “But one inning made the whole outing worthless.”

The Blue Jays squandered a chance to make up some ground on the AL East-leading New York Yankees on Friday, blowing a five-run lead in an 8-5 loss to the Orioles.

Brook Fordyce’s two-run double highlighted an eight-run, eighth inning as Baltimore handed Toronto its sixth loss in seven games.

Carlos Delgado drove in his major league-leading 92nd run for the Blue Jays, who remained 6 1/2 games back of New York.

Baltimore has won three in a row after losing five straight.

STANDINGS: Blue Jays - 3rd place, 6 1/2 GB, AL East. Orioles - 4th place, 13 1/2 GB, AL East.

BLUE JAYS PROBABLE STARTER: Lidle (10-6, 5.32 ERA). Lidle is 2-3 with one save and a 4.54 ERA in nine career appearances, including five starts, against the Orioles.

ORIOLES PROBABLE STARTER: Sidney Ponson (10-5, 3.96 ERA). Ponson was reached for five runs and 10 hits over six innings in a 6-5 loss to the New York Yankees on Monday. The right-hander has lost two of three starts since getting five straight wins from May 21-June 13. Ponson beat the Blue Jays in Toronto on June 25, allowing two runs and 10 hits in his third complete game of the season. He is 4-6 with a 4.24 ERA in 11 career starts against the Blue Jays.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Blue Jays - Delgado, .309 avg., 28 HRs, 92 RBIs and 72 runs; Orlando Hudson, 5 SBs. Orioles - Melvin Mora, .350 avg.; Tony Batista, 15 HRs; Jay Gibbons, 59 RBIs; Jeff Conine, 50 runs; Jerry Hairston, 14 SBs.

SEASON SERIES: Tied, 4-4.

STREAKS AND NOTES: Blue Jays - Toronto has outhomered its opponents 60-43 on the road. … 3B Eric Hinske has homered in consecutive games after managing just two in his first 51 contests. … OF Shannon Stewart is hitting .343 with three doubles, two homers and five RBIs in 35 career at-bats against RHP Ponson. Orioles - OF B.J. Surhoff is riding a season-high 12-game hitting streak. He has at least one hit in 21 of 25 games since coming off the disabled list on May 28. … 1B-DH Conine is 8-for-13 (.615) with a homer and three RBIs in his career against RHP Lidle.

ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Blue Jays - 25-21 on the road; Orioles - 20-23 at home.

INJURIES: Blue Jays - INF Dave Berg (fatigue), 15-day DL; RHP Cliff Politte (shoulder), 15-day DL; RHP Pete Walker (knee), 15-day DL; LHP Doug Creek (elbow), 60-day DL; RHP Bob File (shoulder), 60-day DL. Orioles - OF Larry Bigbie (shoulder), 15-day DL; LHP Omar Daal (shoulder), 15-day DL; RHP Willis Roberts (elbow), 15-day DL; LHP Erik Bedard (elbow), 60-day DL; RHP Scott Erickson (shoulder), 60-day DL; INF Hairston Jr. (foot), 60-day DL; OF Albert Belle (hip), 60-day DL; OF Marty Cordova (elbow), 60-day DL.