Blue Jays 5, Athletics 2: R.A. Dickey worked a season-high 8 1/3 innings and Melky Cabrera drove in a pair of runs as surging Toronto downed visiting Oakland for its fifth straight victory.

Dickey (5-4) defeated the Athletics for the first time since 2008 – despite a 1.50 ERA over his last four starts against them – by yielding two runs on five hits before departing after allowing consecutive hitters to reach base with one out in the ninth. Brett Lawrie homered while Anthony Gose and Jose Reyes each scored twice as the Blue Jays won for the 15th time in their last 20 contests.

Jesse Chavez (4-2) lost for the first time in six road starts and was charged with four runs (two earned) and eight hits over 5 1/3 innings for Oakland, which matched a season high with its third straight setback. Yoenis Cespedes homered and tripled to account for both of the Athletics’ extra-base hits while Jed Lowrie recorded a sacrifice fly in the ninth off reliever Dustin McGowan.

Cespedes put Oakland on the board in the second, hammering a 1-0 fastball to straightaway center for his first home run in 13 games. Toronto evened it in the next inning as Cabrera singled to left-center on a hit-and-run play that allowed Gose to score from first when left fielder Craig Gentry was unable to field the ball cleanly.

Lawrie led off the fifth with a solo shot to left and the Blue Jays added two more runs in the frame when first baseman Brandon Moss was unable to field Cabrera’s grounder cleanly and Chavez couldn’t handle Moss’ toss to him as he attempted to cover first, allowing Gose and Reyes to race home. Cabrera added an RBI groundout in the seventh and Brett Cecil came on in the ninth to retire both batters he faced for his third save.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Opposing hitters were 10-for-20 (with seven extra-base hits) against Dickey in the seventh inning over his first 10 starts, but the 39-year-old knuckleballer needed only 11 pitches and struck out a pair during a 1-2-3 frame on Saturday. … Oakland LHP Jeff Francis worked a scoreless eighth in his first game with the Athletics since being claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. … The Blue Jays have homered in seven consecutive games and 26 of their last 31 contests.