R.A. Dickey is doing his best to help the Toronto Blue Jays remain a serious post-season contender.
The right-hander looks to win a season-high third consecutive start Saturday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays
Dickey (12-12, 3.84 earned-run average) has allowed two or fewer earned runs in five of six starts, and four earned runs over 20 innings while going 2-0 in the last three. Having little trouble commanding his knuckleball, Dickey gave up a run and didn't walk a batter over seven innings of a 3-1 victory at Boston on Sunday.
"As far as a mechanical adjustment, it's nothing that's outstanding,'' he said of his recent success. ''You're always working on your trade.''
Dickey, who has pitched at least six innings in each of his last three starts, looks to extend the same streak by Toronto starters to 19, which would match the longest such run since doing so in 1998.
After allowing six runs and six walks in five innings of a 9-2 loss at Tampa Bay on opening day, Dickey has yielded four runs over 13 innings while splitting his next two against the Rays (71-77) - both on the road. He gave up two of those runs over seven innings of an 8-2 win Sept. 2.
Now, Dickey will try to help the Blue Jays (76-70) bounce back after their four-game winning streak ended with a 1-0 loss Friday.
Toronto collected 28 runs and 39 hits during a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs but managed only a double by Danny Valencia and a single from Adam Lind against Tampa Bay's Nathan Karns and two relievers.
Making his Rays debut, Karns lasted seven innings and outpitched J.A. Happ, who allowed only Ryan Hanigan's homer in the third and a James Loney single while also going seven.
The loss was only the third in 12 games for the Blue Jays, who are trying to remain in the mix for an American League wild-card spot.
''We need to bounce back in the next couple of days,'' manager John Gibbons said.
Lind is batting .341 in his last 13 home games, and Valencia is hitting .333 with three doubles in the last four.
Loney is 12-for-24 in his last six games for the Rays, who have won three of their last four at Rogers Centre.
However, he is 6-for-30 against Dickey.
Though Jeremy Hellickson (1-3, 3.71) has gone 0-2 with a 4.45 ERA while the Rays have lost his last six starts, the right-hander gave up only a two-run homer in a sixth inning he never finished and struck out six in a 7-5, 11-inning defeat to Baltimore on Sunday.
That outing came after Hellickson gave up five runs and homers to Valencia and Jose Reyes in 3 1/3 innings of the defeat to Dickey and the Blue Jays earlier this month.
Hellickson also allowed two runs, three hits and struck out eight during a 5-4, 10-inning loss at Toronto on Aug. 23.
Toronto's Jose Bautista is 0-for-5 in two games since hitting safely in 13 straight but is 10-for-28 with three homers versus Hellickson.
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