(Sports Network) - A.J. Burnett targets career-best win No. 17 this evening when the Toronto Blue Jays play the second of three games against the playoff- hopeful Minnesota Twins at Rogers Centre.

Burnett, who can become a free agent at season's end, has avoided the injury bug this season and is in the midst of the best year of his career, going 16-10 with a 4.48 earned run average.

The 31-year-old right-hander, though, lost for the first time in eight starts on Friday in New York despite another solid outing. He gave up just two runs and seven hits in eight innings of his tea's 2-1 loss that night.

Burnett is 1-1 lifetime against the Twins with a 4.26 ERA in three starts.

Minnesota will counter with 26-year-old righty Nick Blackburn, who is 9-8 with a 3.75 ERA. Blackburn did not get a decision on Thursday in Oakland, as the Athletics managed two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 frames of a 3-2 loss.

The Twins have lost Blackburn's last four starts.

Blackburn, who has never faced the Jays, will have his hands full with a Toronto team that has reeled off seven straight wins in the series following Tuesday's victory.

Lyle Overbay's two-run homer in the sixth inning put Toronto ahead for good and the Blue Jays went on to a 7-5 win. Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer and finished with four hits, while Alex Rios ended 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI for the Blue Jays, who have won three straight games overall.

Joe Mauer collected two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Twins, who have alternated wins and losses over their last six games following a four-game skid. Minnesota remained tied with the White Sox atop the AL Central after Chicago lost to Cleveland on Tuesday.

Trailing by one run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Blue Jays came to bat against Minnesota reliever Boof Bonser (3-7), who was credited with the loss. Scott Rolen drew a leadoff walk before Overbay turned on a Bonser offering and drilled it over the wall in right field for a 6-5 Toronto advantage.

Jesse Carlson (5-1), who tossed a perfect sixth, pitched a 1-2-3 frame in the top of the seventh in earning the win. Rios added an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth for a 7-5 Toronto advantage.

Scott Downs needed only 10 pitches in the scoreless eighth and B.J. Ryan closed it out in the ninth for his 26th save of the season.

Toronto swept a three-game series from the Twins back in May.