Donaldson delivers important win for Blue Jays

Jeff Francoeur flexed his muscle in the Philly second, taking Dickey deep over the wall in centre for his 11th home run of the season; that knotted the score at 1-1. There is still a month and a half to go in the season, but Anthony Castrovince argues at mlb.com that it’s coming down to the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson. He also walked four, but limited the Jays to four hits while striking out five.

Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey allowed five runs and nine hits in four-plus innings, becoming the first Jays starter to give up more than three earned runs in 21 games.

Manager John Gibbons would not come out and admit that anything less than a sweep against the lowly Phillies, who are in last place in the NL East and have lost six of the past 10 games and eight of 13 would be a disappointment but that’s the reality.

It was a timely return to the Jays old thumping ways as of late the bats have been mostly silent, with the starting pitching and bullpen carrying the load. Araujo walked the leadoff hitter and that became a run.

Hitting a ball out of the park when it means the most is what Donaldson has been doing with regularity in his time in the big leagues and the switch in uniforms from Oakland to the Jays has not slowed that down. Gomez had given up just one home run in his previous 80 appearances (96 1/3 innings) dating to May 2014.

Carrera immediately showed his worth, stroking a single in the third inning that scored two and provided Toronto with a 3-1 lead.

Edwin Encarnacion added his 22nd of the season an out later for an 8-5 edge, and the Blue Jays bullpen did the rest from there, Brett Cecil, LaTroy Hawkins, Aaron Sanchez and Roberto Osuna, handling the ninth for his 14th save, delivering a scoreless inning each.

Philadelphia Phillies’ Freddy Galvis is safe at third on a triple… Edwin Encarnacion also homered for Toronto. All this while he plays third base as well as anyone. He also made one fielding gem.

Phillies: Rookie 3B Maikel Franco was placed on the 15-day DL because of a broken left wrist.

Hitting sixth in the order was Ezequiel Carrera, who was recalled from Buffalo as a replacement for Drew Hutchison and as a much-needed fourth outfielder.

Donaldson then stepped up to the plate with two on and belted a soaring homer of the game to left field, his 33rd of the season, to lift Toronto in front 7-5.

The two-game series concludes on Wednesday night with a pair of lefties on the mound.