Francisco, Lind power Blue Jays to 5-4 victory in opener against Indians

TORONTO – Juan Francisco and Adam Lind each drove in two runs and R.A. Dickey pitched into the seventh inning as the Toronto Blue Jays held on to defeat the Cleveland Indians 5-4 on Tuesday.

Blue Jays left-fielder Melky Cabrera cut down the potential tying run with his throw home to end the top of the eighth. Cleveland’s Carlos Santana, who led off the inning with a single against left-hander Brett Cecil and took second on a passed ball, was out at home after Yan Gomes lined a single to left.

Francisco hit a solo homer and an RBI double and Lind hit a two-run double to lead the Blue Jays (20-20) to their second win in a row in the opener of a three-game series with the Indians (18-21).

Dickey (4-3) allowed five hits, two walks, one hit batsman and four runs — two earned — in six-plus innings.

Casey Janssen pitched the ninth for his first save of the season in his second appearance after coming off the disabled list.

Cleveland right-hander Justin Masterson (2-2) allowed six hits — including Francisco’s homer that snapped a 1-1 tie in the fifth — three walks and five runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the third on a single to right by Nick Swisher. Jose Bautista made a tumbling attempt at a catch on the sinking drive that scored Mike Aviles, who singled with two out and took second on a walk to Michael Bourn.

The Blue Jays tied the game in the fourth on a triple to left-centre by Jose Reyes and a sacrifice fly to the warning track in centre by Cabrera.

Francisco hit a 1-0 sinker to right centre for his sixth homer in the season with one out in the fifth to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. Francisco started at third base to get his left-handed bat into the lineup against Masterson and Brett Lawrie started at second base.

The Blue Jays added three runs in the sixth, two on a slicing double by Lind to left centre that scored Cabrera, who led off with a walk, and Bautista who had an infield single. Francisco doubled down the right-field line to score Lind. Masterson then left for left-hander Josh Outman after Lawrie walked.

The Indians answered with three runs in the seventh after Dickey faced four batters without an out. Asdrubal Cabrera singled, David Murphy reached first on Lawrie’s errors, Gomes walked and Lonnie Chisenhall was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Left-hander Aaron Loup allowed a one-out single by Bourn and a sacrifice fly by Swisher to cut the lead to one.

NOTES: The Blue Jays recalled outfielder Kevin Pillar from triple-A Buffalo where he was batting .305 with one home run and 19 RBI. Pillar started in centre field Tuesday while Colby Rasmus rested his mild right hamstring strain, but it seems unlikely he will need to go on the disabled list. … Infielder Jonathan Diaz, who played on Monday to give regular shortstop Reyes a rest, was returned on option to Buffalo. … Blue Jays right-hander Dustin McGowan (2-1, 4.63 earned-run average) will start Wednesday against right-hander Corey Kluber (3-3, 3.48 ERA).