Hot News: Blue Jays win 9-3 over Orioles

Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie and Edwin Encarnacion all belted three-run homers as the Toronto Blue Jays kicked off a six-game homestand with a 9-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

Lawrie's eighth-inning blast to centre field cracked a 3-3 tie and helped make a winner of reliever Steve Delabar (2-0). Cabrera's shot came later in the frame while Encarnacion put Toronto (11-9) on the board with his homer in the sixth inning.



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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) poses for a photo at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. USA Today Sports BASEBALL

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Juan Francisco and Josh Thole chipped in with two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who outhit the Orioles 9-8. Reliever Evan Meek (0-1) shouldered the loss for Baltimore (9-10).

The first half of the game was a pitcher's duel between Toronto's R.A. Dickey and Baltimore's Miguel Gonzalez.

After a clean first inning, Baltimore's Steve Clevenger had the first hit of the game with a one-out double to the gap in right-centre field. Dickey induced a couple of grounders to keep him at second base.

The veteran knuckleballer showed his Gold Glove form in the third inning. He barehanded Steve Lombardozzi's bunt and threw a strike to first to get him by a half-step. Dickey then snared a comebacker by Nick Markakis to get the third out.

Thole doubled to open the bottom half of the third. Gonzalez wasn't fazed as he got Ryan Goins on a popup and struck out Jose Reyes and Cabrera.

Dickey responded by fanning the meat of the Orioles' lineup in order. Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis both struck out swinging after each received three straight knuckleballs. Adam Jones struck out looking.

The Blue Jays put runners on the corners in the fourth but couldn't push a run across.

Francisco belted a two-out standup triple that was a foot short of clearing the fence in centre field. Colby Rasmus walked before Lawrie, from Langley, B.C., popped up to end the threat.

In the fifth inning, Clevenger stroked a single to right field for Baltimore's second hit. Dickey responded by getting three straight outs.

The Orioles opened the scoring in the sixth. Lombardozzi hit a flare to shallow left field that dropped in between Cabrera and Reyes. Both Blue Jays seemed to think the other had a read on the ball but neither did.

Lombardozzi reached second on the play and Markakis followed with a walk. Cruz then stepped into a 1-1 pitch for his fourth homer of the season.

Dickey recorded two outs and then loaded the bases by walking Clevenger, hitting Delmon Young with a pitch and walking Ryan Flaherty. A Jonathan Schoop strikeout kept the damage to just three runs.

Toronto answered in the bottom half of the frame.

Cabrera reached on an error and Jose Bautista singled to set the stage for Encarnacion, who hit his first homer of the season into the first row of standing-room only seats above the first deck in centre field.

T.J. McFarland relieved Gonzalez with two outs in the sixth and a runner on first. He walked Thole and got pinch-hitter Jonathan Diaz to fly out.

Dickey struggled again when he came back out for the seventh inning. Lombardozzi singled and Markakis hit a ground-rule double.

Neil Wagner came on in relief and got Cruz to ground out before being replaced by Brett Cecil. The Toronto southpaw walked Davis to load the bases for Jones, who waved at three straight pitches. Cecil struck out Clevenger to keep the game tied.

Delabar came on for the eighth inning and put a runner on with a one-out walk. Diaz and Reyes then combined for a nice 4-6-3 double play to retire the side.

Announced attendance was 14,866 and the game took two hours 54 minutes to play.

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