IAN HARRISON
Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — R.A Dickey doesn’t want to let a lack of run support bring him down. But Dickey’s Toronto teammates aren’t giving him much margin for error right now.
J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run homer against his former team, Yu Darvish matched his season high with 12 strikeouts and the Texas Rangers beat the Blue Jays 5-1 on Friday night.
Dickey (7-10) lost for the sixth time in seven starts, allowing five runs and six hits in seven innings. The knuckleballer, who walked none and struck out seven, has received only five runs of support over his past four starts.
“We’re not winning his games,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “We’re not scoring runs in his games. But take away that home run, I thought he was really good.”
Dickey said hoping for production from his offense isn’t a concern when he’s on the mound.
“I have a hard enough time tending to my own garden,” Dickey said. “If I can just concentrate on being me and hopefully I’ll get us deep into the ballgame with a chance to win the game, hopefully I haven’t given up any runs. That’s all I can do. And that’s all I try to do.”
Dickey isn’t the only Blue Jays pitcher who could benefit from better batting: Toronto has scored two runs or fewer in seven of its past 11 games, going 2-9 in that stretch.
Arencibia caught Dickey during spring training and at the World Baseball Classic last year, but didn’t handle the former Cy Young winner again after a trio of passed balls on opening night in 2013.
“I got to catch it and I really didn’t catch it,” Arencibia said of Dickey’s knuckler. “It’s a little bit easier to try and take swings at it.”
Promoted from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Arencibia was booed by the crowd of 38,012 before each of his at-bats, but silenced his detractors with a first-pitch homer off R.A. Dickey (7-10) in the seventh, his second.
“It’s kind of flattering when they boo you, it gives you a little bit more fire,” Arencibia said.
Adrian Beltre added a solo homer off Dickey as the Rangers snapped their season-high, eight-game losing streak and won for just the second time in 13 road games.
“It was a solid game all the way around,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “We made all the plays. That’s the way we have to continue to play.”
Darvish (9-5) won for the first time in three starts, allowing one run and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. He reached the 10-strikeout plateau for the sixth time this season, all in his past 12 starts.
“Darvish was outstanding,” Gibbons said. “He can carve you up pretty good.”
The Blue Jays went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left nine stranded.
“We’ve been in an offensive drought for a while now,” Gibbons said. “We’re due to break something out.”
Beltre opened the scoring with a leadoff drive in the fifth. Two outs later, Arencibia was hit by a pitch and scored on Rougned Odor’s triple. Odor finished 3 for 4, coming within a homer of the cycle.
Colby Rasmus connected off Darvish to begin the bottom of the seventh, Toronto’s first homer in five games. One out later, Josh Thole walked and went to third on Munenori Kawasaki’s ground-rule double. Darvish left after getting Jose Reyes to fly out, and Neal Cotts came on to retire Melky Cabrera.
Cotts struck out three batters around Dioner Navarro’s single in the eighth and Joakim Soria finished for the Rangers.
Arencibia made his first career appearance at first base. He’s the eighth different player to start at first for the Rangers this season.
NOTES: Toronto struck out a season-high 17 times. … Toronto optioned RH Chad Jenkins to Triple-A Buffalo to clear a roster spot for LH Brad Mills, who was acquired on waivers from Oakland Thursday. … Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (4-2) will face Rangers RH Colby Lewis on Saturday. Lewis allowed a club record 13 runs, 11 earned, against the Angels in his final start before the All-Star break.
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