TORONTO - The Blue Jays offence gave Jesse Litsch a cushion to work with and the right-hander didn't waste it.

Litsch struck out a career-best nine while getting some help from Adam Lind, J.P. Arencibia and Corey Patterson as Toronto beat the Detroit Tigers 7-4 on Friday at Rogers Centre.

Lind extended his hit streak to 11 games with two hits, including his seventh home run of the season and his sixth in 14 games, and batted in two runs, as did Arencibia and Patterson.

And then there was Arencibia`s big play at home in the first inning on a diving tag on Brennan Boesch to cut off a Tiger run.

"For J.P. to go far to his glove side and get back and still get a sliding Brennan Boesch squelched what could have been a multiple run inning," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said.

"(Arencibia) made a great play," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He picked it, you know. Obviously that was a big play. We thought we had one on the board and we didn't get anything to show for it and they ended up getting three on the board."

The Blue Jays followed that up with five hits, some that found holes, and three runs in the bottom of the inning against left-hander Phil Coke (1-5).

Litsch (3-2) held the Tigers to four hits, three walks and one run in 6 1/3 innings in the opener of a four-game series.

The Blue Jays were hitting as well. By the time the Tigers came to bat in the ninth, the Blue Jays led 7-1 and had season-best 15 hits with at least one from each player in the lineup.

However, the Tigers wouldn't go quietly and scored three unearned runs in the ninth against Shawn Camp. Frank Francisco came into the game with two runners on, and two out to pick up his second save.

It was the first loss in four games for the Tigers (15-18), who took three straight against the New York Yankees in a four-game series.

The Blue Jays (15-17), who returned from a 5-5 road trip, scored four runs on 11 hits in six innings against Coke.

But Leyland had praise for him.

"He really hung in there and did okay," Leyland said. "I mean he gave up some hits that were just hit in exactly the right place. He (Juan) jammed Rivera and broke his bat and he got a hit to left. They centred some balls that went deep that one inning (fifth) but he gave us every bit of a chance. Those add-on runs are costly."

It looked like a romp for Toronto when Edwin Encarnacion and Mike McCoy singled in the eighth to give every player in the Blue Jays lineup had at least one hit in the 15-hit barrage. Patterson blooped a two-out double to centre to score them.

And then came the rally.

It even bigger the help Litsch got from the defence in the first inning to come out of it unscathed despite giving up two hits and a walk as Boesch was thrown out at home on Victor Martinez's single. But it took a diving play by Arencibia, who caught left-fielder Rivera's throw that was off-line.

Arencibia caught the ball in foul territory and made the tag on a diving play.

"It was definitely a pick-me-up. It was a great play by Juan and J.P.," Litsch said.

On his strikeouts Litsch said, "A lot of them were cutters. They were just going straight down. That's where I want to be."

The Blue Jays scored three in their half of the first using five singles. Rajai Davis and Yunel

Escobar started it with singles to put runners at the corners for Lind who singled. Rivera and Arencibia followed with run-scoring singles.

Arencibia's third-inning double to right centre scored Rivera who led off with the inning with a single for a 4-0 lead.

The Tigers scored once in the fourth. Martinez led off with a walk and took third on a double by Magglio Ordonez. Jhonny Peralta grounded out to third to score Martinez.

The Tigers scored three unearned runs in the ninth against Camp on a two-run double by Brandon Inge and a run-scoring single by Scott Sizemore.

Notes: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 19,711. ...Right-fielder Jose Bautista who has not played since last Sunday because of neck spasms is on target to return to the lineup on Sunday. The plan is for him to take full batting practice Saturday and it is possible that he could be available as a pinch-hitter in that game. ....Second baseman Aaron Hill, who is on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, will play in an extended spring training game Saturday afternoon to end his minor-league rehabilitation and hopes to rejoin the Blue Jays for Sunday's game. ...Left-hander Ricky Romero (2-2, 4.60) is ready to make his start on Saturday after missing his regular start on Thursday with a slight strain of the left oblique muscle. He said any discomfort is gone. He will face Justin Verlander (2-3, 3.75 ERA).