Watch CBS News

Valencia, Jones Homer As Orioles Top Blue Jays 6-5

TORONTO (AP) -- For Adam Jones, there's nothing like a trip north of the border to pad those power stats.

Jones hit a towering home run, Danny Valencia also went deep and the Baltimore Orioles beat R.A. Dickey and the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Saturday.

Jones has eight home runs at Rogers Centre since the start of the 2012 season, the most by any opposing player.

"I just see the ball good here," Jones said. "I don't think it's anything in particular. It's just baseball. Crazy things happen."

Baltimore leads the majors with 68 home runs this season, including nine in the past three games.

"They've got a good-hitting club, one of the best in baseball," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "It's no secret why they're a good team."

The Orioles won for the fourth time in five games following a season-long, six-game losing streak.

Freddy Garcia (1-2) allowed three runs and nine hits in five innings to win for the first time since Aug. 15, 2012, when he beat Texas while pitching for the New York Yankees. Garcia walked none and struck out one.

"In the third, fourth and fifth innings I had a better feel for the ball and I pitched better," Garcia said.

Steve Johnson struck out five in 2 2-3 innings, Darren O'Day got one out and Jim Johnson closed it out in the ninth for his 15th save in 18 chances, snapping a streak of three straight blown saves. Jim Johnson's save was his first since May 10 at Minnesota.

"Once again, Jim Johnson closing a one-run lead on the road in the American League East against a team as hot as anybody," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "That's pretty impressive."

Valencia connected off Dickey with a second-deck drive in the third inning, his second home run of the season -- both in the past two days. Jones chased last year's NL Cy Young Award winner with an even longer drive in the seventh, his ninth of the year and third in three games.

The homers were the 10th and 11th allowed by Dickey this season, tying him with four pitchers, including teammates Mark Buehrle and Brandon Morrow, for second-most in the AL.

"We have a team that can drive the ball out of the park," Jones said. "We score in a lot of unique ways."

Dickey (4-6), who won his previous two starts, matched his loss total from last season with the New York Mets. He allowed six runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings, walked three and struck out four.

"I'm kind of just punching the clock right now," Dickey said. "I'm searching for it. The journey is always ongoing but I certainly haven't felt like I did last year. There's some concrete reasons for that and there's some reasons I need to iron out in the bullpen in between outings.

"I've just been battling some injuries and pitching through some things," he added. "My velocity hasn't been there this year so far. I haven't been able to go to the harder knuckleball."

Pitching with the roof open on a cool, gusty afternoon didn't make things any easier on Dickey.

"It wasn't ideal conditions but it was OK," he said. "I've pitched just fine in conditions similar to today. That's certainly not an excuse."

Would he have preferred the retractable roof be closed?

"It's hard," he said. "They know what I like and it's up to them to make that decision, you know?"

After Melky Cabrera made a running catch at the wall to retire Jones and strand two runners in the fourth, Dickey retired the next eight in a row before Jones took him deep.

"He's a special breed and they're lucky to have him," Showalter said of Dickey. "If they get tired of him, pass him our way."

Chris Davis hit an RBI double and J.J. Hardy added a two-run single as the Orioles took a 3-0 lead in the first. Baltimore has led 3-0 in all three games of this series, winning twice.

"It makes it tough," Blue Jays designated hitter Adam Lind said of the early deficits. "You know you've got to start to climb that mountain from our first at-bat."

Lind got Toronto started on that climb with an RBI single in the first and Emilio Bonifacio cut it to 3-2 with a one-out homer in the second, his second.

Valencia's two-run homer made it 5-2, but Toronto got one back in the fifth when Garcia made a throwing error on Brett Lawrie's grounder, allowing Jose Bautista to score from third.

Jones made it 6-3 with a two-out shot in the seventh, but the Blue Jays rallied with two in the eighth. Steve Johnson left after giving up an RBI single to Munenori Kawasaki, and Cabrera drove in Toronto's fifth run with a single off O'Day.

"We made a run at it, we just came up short," Gibbons said.

NOTES: Davis has 57 hits this season, 33 for extra bases. ... Orioles RF Nick Markakis extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the fourth. ... Blue Jays RHP Josh Johnson (sore triceps) allowed one hit over four scoreless innings in a rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo. He is expected to make one more rehab start before rejoining the Blue Jays. ... Toronto recalled RHP Thad Weber from Buffalo to replace LHP Sean Nolin, who was sent back to Double-A after making his major league debut in Friday's 10-6 loss. ... Baltimore placed RHP Pedro Strop (lower back strain) on the 15-day DL and recalled Steve Johnson from Triple-A Norfolk.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.