Dickey pitches 8 1-3 scoreless, sparks big inning with bat to lead Blue Jays past Giants 4-0

SAN FRANCISCO – R.A. Dickey allowed two hits in 8 1-3 innings and sparked a four-run fifth inning with an RBI double that led the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

Mark DeRosa added a two-run single for Toronto and Adam Lind had three hits for his eighth multihit game in the past 12 contests to help the Blue Jays earn a split of this two-game series.

Barry Zito (4-4) was done in by the one big inning and lost at home for the first time since last August. The defending World Series champion Giants have lost 11 of 18 games heading into a nine-game road trip.

Dickey (5-7) bounced back from a pair of rough starts in which he allowed six runs each to Baltimore and Atlanta to shut down the Giants thanks to his dancing knuckleball that helped him record five strikeouts.

Dickey retired the first 11 batters before Pablo Sandoval lined a clean single to right field and didn’t allow another baserunner until Hunter Pence walked to lead off the eighth in his best start since joining the Blue Jays in the off-season.

He was replaced after allowing a single to Gregor Blanco and walking Marco Scutaro with one out in the ninth inning. Casey Janssen got Sandoval to hit into a double play for his 12th save in as many chances.

The Blue Jays also helped Dickey with their gloves as shortstop Macier Izturis made diving stops to rob Buster Posey and Sandoval of possible hits.

Zito ran into trouble when he walked struggling No. 8 hitter Henry Blanco with one out in the fifth inning. Dickey then squared around to bunt to try to advance the runner and Sandoval charged in from third base.

Dickey pulled back and decided to swing away, knocking a grounder past the charging Sandoval and into the left-field corner for an RBI double. Dickey scored on a two-out single by Jose Bautista.

Zito’s second walk of the game led to more trouble after Edwin Encarnacion and Bautista pulled off a double steal when Sandoval couldn’t get the tag down in time even though Posey’s throw beat Bautista to third base. That set up DeRosa’s two-run single that made it 4-0.

Zito allowed four runs, seven hits and three walks in six innings to lose at home for the first time since Aug. 2, 2012, against the Mets. The Giants had won Zito’s last 14 starts at home, including one in the World Series and he entered the game with a 1.40 ERA this season at AT&T Park.

NOTES: Dickey had his first extra-base hit since doubling against Philadelphia on Sept. 24, 2010. … Zito became the first Giants starter to pitch at least six innings and not strike out a batter since he did it May 12, 2007, at Colorado. … The Giants have allowed the first run in nine straight home games, but won five of them. … San Francisco CF Angel Pagan missed his 10th straight game with a strained left hamstring but manager Bruce Bochy hopes he will be able to play Friday in Arizona. … The Blue Jays finished 3-4 on their road trip that included stops in Atlanta and San Diego and return home to face Texas on Friday.