TORONTO (AP)—The Toronto Blue Jays acquired second baseman Luis Valbuena(notes)
from the Cleveland Indians on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations.

The 25-year-old Valbuena appeared in 17 games for Cleveland last season,
batting .209 with one home run and one RBI.

The left-handed hitter has played in 229 major league games over four
seasons for Seattle (2008) and Cleveland (2009-11), with a .226 average with 13
home runs and 57 RBI.

With the move, the Blue Jays have 40 players on the 40-man roster.

This one ended with another implosion by closer Kevin Gregg, who blew his seventh save in 27 chances and third in his last six opportunities.

“The guys did an outstanding job. The whole team put together a great effort today. Unfortunately, I spoiled it at the end,” said Gregg, who surrendered two runs in the bottom of the ninth on two singles, a walk, a wild pitch and a hit batter.

The Orioles (58-86) had a chance to guarantee a series win at Rogers Centre for the first time since June 2008, but now must win Sunday’s rubber match against the Blue Jays (73-73) to accomplish that.

“I think there are a lot of great things that went on in that game today that I’ll dwell on without having blinders on,” said Orioles Manager Buck Showalter. “But I’m sure our clubhouse is frustrated about not finishing it off. Right there is a game that could have gone either way.”

Of the 16 Orioles who appeared in Saturday’s contest, only four — Nick Markakis, Vladimir Guerrero, Robert Andino and Gregg — were on the club’s 2011 opening day roster.

With a day game following a night game and a brutal recent schedule, Showalter rested regulars Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds and scratched Adam Jones prior to the first pitch because of a swollen left ankle.

Led by Guerrero’s three hits — including a run-scoring double in the eighth that broke a 3-3 tie — the Orioles managed to outhit the Blue Jays, 12-5. They could have scored another run in the third, when Chris Davis was thrown out trying to score from second on a single.

Ultimately, they couldn’t create more breathing room for the enigmatic Gregg (0-3).

With a 4-3 lead and one out in the ninth, the beleaguered closer entered and struck out rookie Brett Lawrie before failing to secure the game-ending out. Gregg allowed a wild pitch to tie the game and pinch-hitter J.P. Arencibia singled home pinch-runner Chris Woodward for the Jays’ victory.

“Obviously, I struck out the first guy and then go out there and end up walking a guy, a groundball base hit, hit a guy and another base hit,” Gregg said. “Obviously, you start strong and then that happens. Yeah, it wasn’t good.”

Gregg’s outing ruined an impressive run by five Orioles relievers — Zach Phillips, Chris Jakubauskas, Troy Patton, Willie Eyre and Clay Rapada — who combined for six scoreless and hitless innings.

“We were definitely aware of what was going on down there. We knew the innings were stacking up scoreless-wise,” said Jakubauskas, who pitched one perfect inning. “You feed off the last guy. The last guy has gone 2¹/
₃ scoreless you kind of want to jump on his back and see how many zeroes you can throw up in a row.”

That bullpen quintet — none of which was with the team on opening day — allowed one walk and struck out four in relief of starter Rick VandenHurk, who lasted just 2¹/
₃ innings in his first big-league start since last September.

VandenHurk gave up three runs on two walks, a hit batter and three hits, including homers by Jose Bautista (his major-league-leading 41st this year) and Lawrie (his ninth since an Aug. 5 call-up and fourth versus the Orioles). VandenHurk threw only 25 of his 53 pitches for strikes.

“Overall, I didn’t throw enough strikes, that’s what it comes down to,” VandenHurk said. “Everybody saw the ball-strike ratio. It’s not good enough.”

The game’s outcome, though, hinged on Gregg, a former Blue Jay who was being taunted with chants of “Gregg you [stink]” by some in the announced crowd of 17,742.

“You’ve got to roll with the punches. Save opps [have] been coming at a premium, so it is something you’ve got to deal with,” Gregg said. “It’s not the first one I’ve messed up and it probably won’t be the last one.”

Notes: Jones, who fouled a ball off his ankle Friday night but remained in the game, said the swelling increased overnight, but he was hoping to play Sunday. . . . Showalter had to shift Saturday’s lineup around, inserting Josh Bell at third base while moving Markakis from first to right, Matt Angle from right to center and Chris Davis from third to first. … RHP Jason Berken (right forearm/elbow) is expected to be activated from the disabled list Monday. He was scheduled to fly into Baltimore after a final side session in Sarasota on Saturday. … SS Pedro Florimon made his big-league debut Saturday and went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and also committed an error. He nearly had his first hit on a sacrifice bunt in the second inning but was called out at first. Replays showed he appeared to be safe.

— Baltimore Sun

Adam Lind yelps in pain after being hit on the wrist by a pitch in the first inning on Saturday in Oakland. He stayed in the game to run but left shortly after. There has been no word of his status. (George Nikitin/Associated Press)

Jose Bautista’s absence from the Toronto Blue Jays lineup could be a brief one. It’s not immediately known if the same can be said for Adam Lind.

Looking to settle for a split of a four-game set, the Blue Jays will meet the Oakland Athletics on Sunday for the final time this year.

Toronto (64-62) scratched Bautista, the major leagues’ home run leader, with tightness in his neck just minutes before Saturday’s 5-1 loss. Lind, batting cleanup, was hit by a pitch near the right wrist in the first inning and came out of the game for pinch-hitter Mark Teahen in the third.

“Having gone through it earlier in the year I don’t want it to get that bad again,” said Bautista who missed five games in May with the same neck injury. “Playing with it would have been a risk.”

Bautista (35) and Lind (22) have combined for 57 of the Blue Jays’ 145 homers this year.

“When we have to remove [Bautista] before the game and then Lind goes down in his first at-bat [it] is a blow,” said Toronto manager John Farrell.

Brandon Allen, a power-hitting first baseman acquired from Arizona at last month’s trading deadline, had two more hits Saturday and is batting .407 (11 for 27) in eight games with the A’s. Allen has managed just two RBIs over that span.

Josh Willingham had the first pinch homer of the season for Oakland (57-69), which has won four of five after an 0-4 start to its 10-game homestand.

Before heading out on a 10-game stretch against playoff hopefuls in New York, Boston and Cleveland, the A’s will go with Guillermo Moscoso (6-6, 3.48 ERA) as he tries to win his third straight start.

The right-hander’s streak began Aug. 11 at Toronto, where he allowed two runs and three hits in six innings in Oakland’s 10-3 win. Moscoso also went six innings against Baltimore on Tuesday, yielding three runs and five hits in the 8-4 victory.

“I just have to be aggressive and get ahead in the count,” Moscoso said. “I want to throw first-pitch strikes.”

Moscoso is 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA in seven starts at O.co Coliseum. He’s allowed three runs or less in five of those games.

He will be opposed by rookie Luis Perez (2-2, 3.71), who will make his first major league start for Toronto.

The left-hander fills the rotation spot that opened when Brad Mills was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday. Two days earlier, Perez replaced an ineffective Mills in the Blue Jays’ 13-7 win over Seattle, yielding a run and three hits in a career high-tying four innings.

In 29 appearances, Perez has struck out 37 and walked 15 in 43 2/3 innings.

“Just felt like the way Luis has thrown, this is a chance to see him in (a starting) role,” Farrell told the Blue Jays’ official website. “We bounced that idea back and forth throughout the course of this year.”

In two appearances against the A’s earlier this month in Toronto, Perez was tagged for five runs, two earned, and three walks in 2 1-3 innings.

Toronto is 4-5 against Oakland this year. The Blue Jays had taken the season series in each of the last three years.

TORONTO — The good news came quickly for Brad Mills following Saturday’s game.

The Toronto Blue Jays pitcher, starting for the first time of the year, had thrown well enough to get another start.

“He’s certainly earned an opportunity, there’s no doubt about it,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said.

That he will not enter that start with a 2011 win to his name is not Mills’ fault. On a more fortuitous day than Saturday, Mills would have picked up a win in his first start of the season. On a less fortuitous day, the Jays would have managed all of two hits off of Derek Holland.

The Texas Rangers’ starter completely baffled the Blue Jays, ending Toronto’s modest win streak at three games with a 3-0 win on Saturday afternoon at the sun-soaked Rogers Centre.

In all, the Blue Jays managed four hits, but this is what they had to show for the first five innings: a Jose Bautista “base hit” in the first inning that Rangers first baseman Michael Young lost in the endless sky and a John McDonald bunt “base hit” in the second inning that Holland threw away. J.P. Arencibia added a legitimate infield hit in the eighth inning.

“From previous seasons, he’s improved by a large amount,” Jays first baseman Adam Lind said. “He used to just throw fastballs and have a slider. But now he’s locating fastballs on both sides of the plate and a slider and a curveball.”

“Any ball that seemed to be hit hard was deflected off of his glove,” Farrell added. Lind’s game-ending grounder is included in that group.

Frustrations boiled over in the sixth inning. Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler made a nice play to keep Yunel Escobar from an up-the-middle base hit, but Escobar maintained that Kinsler’s throw pulled Young off of first base. Escobar directed a few words and a few purposeful points at first-base umpire Marvin Hudson, and Hudson tossed the Blue Jays’ on-base machine. Two batters later, Bautista delivered Toronto’s only hit to the outfield on the afternoon, a sharp single to left field.

Newbie Blue Jay Colby Rasmus was part of the tepid output, going 0-for-4, keeping him hitless in 12 at-bats with his new team. However, it was hard to point at Rasmus much on this day, as infield pop-outs and meek ground balls were the norm for each piece of the batting order.

Mills was making his first start for the Blue Jays since Aug. 12, 2010. In Las Vegas this season, he has gone 9-7 with a 3.99 earned-run average. And when the Blue Jays decided they had seen enough of Jo-Jo Reyes, that decided that Mills, and not the bullpen-bound Jesse Litsch, would get the spot start. (Litsch made his season debut in the season on Saturday, allowing a home run to Mike Napoli but striking out three in the eighth inning.)

Mills has a seven-inning shut out of the Baltimore Orioles on his resume — his only Major League win — but his day did not start particularly well. Mitch Moreland hit a rocket of a two-run home run to right field in the second inning, his first off of a lefty in the regular season.

After that, however, he was solid. The Rangers helped out by resting Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus, the latter two nursing minor injuries, but Mills surrendered just six hits over the course of seven innings and 117 pitches.

“I’m not going to throw 95 [miles per hour] like their guy was today. I’m a mix guy,” Mills said. “I’m going to throw four pitches for strikes. I’m just going to try to keep them off balance.”

However, when you can throw 95, you can keep the opposition even more off balance.

• Email: ekoreen@nationalpost.com | Twitter:

Ricky Romero looks to extend his personal winning streak to four games on Saturday night. (Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press)

The Toronto Blue Jays have picked up where they left off against the Baltimore Orioles.

Ricky Romero now gets his chance to continue his own dominance of the Orioles, and Adam Lind’s scheduled return may boost those chances.

Romero looks to extend his personal winning streak to four, and Lind is expected back from injury when these teams meet at Camden Yards on Saturday night.

Toronto (29-28) has won 21 of 27 against Baltimore (25-30) and went 15-3 in the season series last year. The Blue Jays carried that success into 2011, winning 8-4 on Friday.

Romero (5-4, 2.88 ERA) went 3-0 with a 1.88 earned-run average in four starts against Baltimore last year.

The left-hander, Toronto’s leader in wins, ERA and strikeouts (66), has been outstanding over his last four starts, going 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA. He yielded two runs in seven innings of a 13-4 win over Chicago on Sunday.

Lind is slated to be the designated hitter Saturday after he was activated from the disabled list following the series opener. The first baseman has been out since May 8 with a lower back strain.

He was on a tear prior to getting hurt, hitting .457 with six homers and 15 RBIs in 12 games. Lind has a .343 average over his last nine meetings with Baltimore.

Toronto’s J.P. Arencibia is batting .308 with six RBIs in the last six games after connecting for his first grand slam Friday. The catcher is hitting .255, but his nine homers and 30 RBIs rank among the rookie leaders, while 19 of his 41 hits have gone for extra bases.

Vastly productive

Arencibia is vastly more productive versus left-handers, compiling a .357 average with four homers. He’s hitting .218 against righties.

“He’s done an excellent job at the plate and behind the plate, and [Friday] he had a very good game all-around,” manager John Farrell said.

The Orioles, losers of six of seven, will turn to Jake Arrieta (6-3, 4.97). The right-hander will be looking to rebound from one of his worst performances of the season in trying to gain a share of the AL wins lead.

He surrendered four runs and four hits with four walks in 2 1-3 innings of a 4-3 loss at Seattle on Monday.

“I’m pretty upset about this one,” Arrieta told the Orioles’ official website.

Arrieta was impressive in his only start versus Toronto on Sept. 14, allowing four hits with five strikeouts in six scoreless innings of an 11-3 win at Camden Yards.

Adam Jones is batting .407 with 11 RBIs in his last 12 home games, and he’s hitting .347 with seven RBIs over his past 12 meetings with Toronto.

Jones is 8 for 23 with a homer against Romero.

The Orioles’ 37 errors rank among the most in the AL, and they have committed 12 in nine games. Mark Reynolds’ error Friday — his 11th — led to two runs for Toronto.

CLEARWATER, FLA. – Just two years out of high school, Drew Hutchison calmly answered an emergency call for the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.

The Jays shuffled their rotation after an injury to Brandon Morrow, moving Kyle Drabek’s start from Saturday to Monday. So Hutchison, a 20-year-old right-hander from Lakeland, Fla., was summoned to start against the A-lineup of the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I was real thankful for the opportunity to come out here and play, and just tried to have fun with it,” he said.

The fun lasted 4 2/3 innings, over which Hutchison allowed two hits and two runs in Toronto’s 7-6 win. He left after Carlos Ruiz hit a two-run homer to break up his scoreless streak. Both runs were unearned owing to Jose Bautista’s throwing error.

Toronto pounded 13 hits, including six doubles and a Rajai Davis homer. Bautista had three doubles and two RBIs to boost his spring batting average to .396 and Yunel Escobar’s three hits goosed his average to .407.

Hutchison’s parents and a few friends made the short drive from Lakeland to watch him test his talents against big-league hitters for the first time.

He admitted to a touch of anxiety when leadoff hitter Shane Victorino stepped in and worked a full count. Then Victorino took a third strike.

“I came back and made a good 3-2 pitch and that settled me down,” Hutchison said.

A 15th-round draft pick in 2009, Hutchison made his pro debut at short-season Auburn, then moved up to low Class-A Lansing and posted a 1.52 ERA in five starts.

He did not try to do anything special against the Phillies.

“I just tried to come out here and be myself and have fun with it,” he said.

Manager John Farrell knew little of Hutchison before getting a briefing from general manager Alex Anthopoulos and assistant GM Tony LaCava. Farrell called Hutchison’s outing “very impressive.”

“He was very poised,” the manager said. “It was great to see him get outs with his fastball. Just talking with Tony and Alex before he came over, he’s a guy that has no fear to throw his fastball over the plate and he’s got good command and an easy, loose delivery. Good day for him.”

Farrell was also pleased with the work of Jon Rauch, who came in with two on and no outs in the eighth. He allowed a bloop single and a bases-loaded walk on a close pitch, but limited the Phillies to one run.

“That’s probably the first time all spring he’s come in [in a pressure situation],” Farrell said. “You never know what he’s going to throw. He has command of three or four pitches and he does a good job of disrupting hitters’ timing.”

Rauch will open the season as the Jays’ new closer. Farrell said he would prefer to summon him at the start of an inning after the season starts, but felt Saturday’s assignment was good practice for other situations where he might need Rauch.

Email: jlott@nationalpost.com | Twitter: @LottOnBaseball

Leaping after fielding a high throw from Eduardo Nunez, New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (25) tries to tag Toronto Blue Jays Yunel Escobar, who is safe returning to second after trying to stretch a sixth-inning double into a triple in the Blue Jays spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Saturday, March 19, 2011. The game ended in a 5-5 tie. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

Leaping after fielding a high throw from Eduardo Nunez, New York…

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is safe sliding back into second as Toronto Blue Jays Craig Stansberry applies a late tag in the fifth inning of their spring training baseball game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Saturday, March 19, 2011. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is safe sliding back…

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez tries to tag Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Rajai Davis, who is safe at third running on an Eric Thames’ fourth-inning single in their spring training baseball game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Saturday, March 19, 2011. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez tries to tag Toronto…

New York Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, left and teammate Derek Jeter greet Robinson Cano after Cano’s first-inning, two-run home run in their spring training baseball game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Saturday, March 19, 2011. On-deck batter Andrew Jones (18) is shown at far right. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

New York Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, left and teammate Derek…

New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano follows through on his first-inning two-run home run off Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brett Cecil in their spring training baseball game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Saturday, March 19, 2011. Blue Jays catcher J. P. Arencibiia is behind the plate, left. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano follows through on…

New York Yankees Derek Jeter runs home to score on an Alex Rodriguez first inning RBI double in their spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Saturday, March 19, 2011. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

New York Yankees Derek Jeter runs home to score on an Alex…

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brett Cecil winds up in the second inning of their spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Saturday, March 19, 2011. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brett Cecil winds up in the…

TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays reliever Frank Francisco has been scratched from a minor-league appearance Sunday because of ongoing discomfort in his right pectoral muscle.

Toronto manager John Farrell said Saturday the right-hander still felt some felt discomfort during a bullpen session. Farrell is hopeful Francisco will be ready for opening day.

Octavio Dotel, who was out with a hamstring injury, had a mound session. His status will be re-evaluated Sunday.

Miguel Cabrera wasn’t on the travel roster for the Tigers’ spring opener Saturday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., and Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Saturday that Cabrera definitely won’t play Sunday.

“Monday is more of a possibility, but I’m not assuring you of Monday, either,” Leyland said.

After watching Cabrera take batting practice Friday, Leyland said Cabrera probably could have jumped right into the lineup Saturday.

“But I’m worried about his legs. He’s been working,” Leyland said. “He worked his tail off this offseason on agility and strength. But that doesn’t always correlate with baseball condition. So I’m not going to put him out there after one day and do something crazy.”

Cabrera met with his teammates for the first time this spring on Friday.

“I appreciated all that, what they did to me,” Cabrera said. “I’m comfortable with these guys. I love these guys. They’ve always been good to me, so now I’ve got to do a lot of good things for them. Right now I’m going to prepare very hard and get ready to win games.”

Cabrera, who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Feb. 16, did not play in the Tigers’ 17-5 win over Florida Southern College on Friday, but did do some hitting and fielding drills.

Information from ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark and The Associated Press was used in this report.

BALL GROUND, Ga. — Roy Hartsfield, the Toronto Blue Jays’ manager for their first three seasons, has died. He was 85.

Bernhardt Funeral Home in Ellijay confirmed that Hartsfield died Saturday at his daughter’s home in Ball Ground.

Hartsfield also played in the majors from 1950-52 for the Boston Braves. A second baseman, he finished with a .273 career batting average and 13 homers.

He then coached and managed, mostly in the minors, including 19 years in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He was named the Blue Jays’ manager when they joined the American League in 1977. Hartsfield was 166-318 in his three years managing Toronto.

A memorial service will be held Saturday at Ellijay First United Methodist Church at 2 p.m.

BALL GROUND, Ga. (AP)—Roy Hartsfield, the Toronto Blue Jays’ manager for their first three seasons, has died. He was 85.

Bernhardt Funeral Home in Ellijay confirmed that Hartsfield died Saturday at his daughter’s home in Ball Ground.

Hartsfield also played in the majors from 1950-52 for the Boston Braves. A second baseman, he finished with a .273 career batting average and 13 homers.

He then coached and managed, mostly in the minors, including 19 years in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He was named the Blue Jays’ manager when they joined the American League in 1977. Hartsfield was 166-318 in his three years managing Toronto.

A memorial service will be held Saturday at Ellijay First United Methodist Church at 2 p.m.