Time may be running out for Josh Towers.

The struggling right-hander will try to show he belongs in the Blue Jays rotation when he takes the mound Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome (8:10 p.m. ET).

Josh Towers has a 7.20 ERA and .359 opponents' batting average in his last three starts.
(Mike Carlson/Associated Press)

Towers (2-5, 5.75 ERA) has pitched poorly since replacing the released Tomo Ohka in the starting rotation on June 11. In his last three starts, Towers is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA while allowing opponents to bat a robust .359.

After going 1-3 as a starter in the month of April, Towers was demoted to the bullpen, where he appeared likely to remain for a while. But a rash of injuries to the likes of Victor Zambrano, Gustavo Chacin and A.J. Burnett, and Ohka's ineffectiveness, compelled the team to summon Towers back to the rotation.

But with Burnett ready to return from a sore arm, and youngsters Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan strengthening their grips on starting jobs behind ace Roy Halladay, Towers may not get many more chances to prove himself.

Unfortunately, the Twins don't appear to be the ideal opponent for Towers, who is 1-2 with a 6.32 ERA in three career starts against Minnesota, allowing them to hit .403.

Fortunately, Towers will face a Twins starter who has endured struggles of his own of late. Since winning four straight starts from May 13 to 29, right-hander Boof Bonser (5-3, 4.45 ERA) has gone 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA in his last four outings, allowing opponents to hit .337.

Bonser gave up four runs and six hits over six innings on Friday, but didn't receive a decision in the Twins' 5-4 defeat to Florida. Bonser lost his only career start versus the Blue Jays, allowing three runs and seven hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 4-0 defeat on Aug. 12, 2006.

Thomas going for 500

On Wednesday, Bonser will try to continue the fine play of his fellow Twins starters, who have given up just one earned run in three of their last four games. They have recorded 27 strikeouts with just two walks during that stretch while holding opponents to a .211 batting average.

Scott Baker scattered four hits and struck out a career-high nine over seven-plus innings on Tuesday in Minnesota's 2-1, 12-inning victory over the Blue Jays.

Jeff Cirillo dropped a pinch-hit, bases-loaded bloop single into centre field in the 12th to give the Twins (39-36) their fifth win in the last seven games.

"I almost feel a little guilty because the ball fell," said Cirillo, who snapped a 0-for-8 slump. "It was a flukey hit, but you know, I'll take it."

Howie Clark had the lone run batted in for the Blue Jays (38-38), who had won four straight games and five of six.

Frank Thomas remained stuck on 499 career home runs after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Extra innings a 'tough way to lose': Zaun

Marcum battled Baker pitch for pitch to remain unbeaten (3-0) in nine starts since being moved from the bullpen into the rotation on a regular basis, but Toronto still had its season-high four-game winning streak snapped.

"It's a tough way to lose, plus we were on a little bit of a winning streak there and we would have liked to keep it going," catcher Gregg Zaun told the Blue Jays' official website. "We'll just have to start a new one tomorrow."

Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau will again be out of the lineup Wednesday as he continues to recover from a bruised lung suffered in a collision at the plate Friday against the Florida Marlins. The reigning American League MVP, who hails from New Westminster, B.C., had a CT scan Tuesday that still showed some damage, but he said he's improving.

"Hopefully, as soon as possible, but I don't want to put a date on it," Morneau said when asked about his return. "It should be, hopefully, in the next couple of days, but you don't want to push it too much and then have something come back, and all of a sudden I'm out for two or three weeks."

With files from the Associated Press