Blue Jays 5, Tigers 3
TORONTO -- R.A. Dickey pitched into the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays hit three solo home runs to defeat the Detroit Tigers 5-3 on Friday.
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, third baseman Josh Donaldson and right fielder Jose Bautista homered for the Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series.
Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion extended his hitting streak to 23 games with an RBI double in the first. It is the longest hit streak in the majors this season.
The Blue Jays (72-56) entered the game with a 1 1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees in the American League East.
Dickey (9-10) won his sixth consecutive decision. The knuckleballer allowed six hits, one walk and three runs while striking out six in 6 2/3 innings.
Second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a solo homer in the first for the Tigers (60-68). Center fielder Anthony Gose, formerly with the Blue Jays, hit a two-run homer in the seventh to chase Dickey.
Gose's fourth homer of the season followed a two-out walk to shortstop Jose Iglesias.
Left-hander Matt Boyd (1-5), who was traded to the Tigers as part of the deal that sent left-hander David Price to the Blue Jays, allowed three home runs among seven hits and gave up five runs in six innings. He walked three and struck out four.
Right-hander Mark Lowe finished the seventh for the Blue Jays and right-hander Aaron Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 eighth.
Right-hander Roberto Osuna struck out the side in the ninth to earn his 16th save.
Kinsler gave the Tigers the lead with his ninth homer of the season on the first pitch he saw from Dickey.
The Blue Jays tied the game in the bottom of the first when Bautista walked and Encarnacion doubled to center.
The Blue Jays hit back-to-back homers for the eighth time this season in the third to take a 3-1 lead. Tulowitzki hit his fourth homer for the Blue Jays -- his 16th overall this season -- and Donaldson followed with his 35th of the season, off the facing of the fifth deck.
The Blue Jays loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth on a single by center fielder Kevin Pillar, a walk by left fielder Ben Revere and a single by second baseman Ryan Goins. They scored a run when catcher Josh Thole grounded into a double play.
Bautista hit his 31st homer of the season with one out in the fifth to bump the lead to 5-1.
NOTES: The Blue Jays, coming off a 6-2 trip, opened a nine-game homestand Friday, with the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles following the Tigers to Rogers Centre. ... The Tigers opened a six-game trip Friday, with a visit to Kansas City following the series in Toronto. ... Tigers 2B Ian Kinsler was 0-for-4 Thursday to end an eight-game hitting streak. ... Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman (knee surgery) threw 51 pitches in a simulated game at Dunedin, Fla., Friday and will pitch for Class A Lansing on Wednesday. ... RHP Drew Hutchison (12-2, 5.06 ERA) will return to the Blue Jays' rotation Saturday to start against Tigers RHP Buck Farmer (0-2, 7.80) in the second game of the three-game series. Hutchison missed the Blue Jays' eight-game road trip when he was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, where he made one start and was 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA.