TORONTO -- Liam Hendriks already had a big day on the go before taking the mound for his Blue Jays debut Friday night. Nike Air Force 1 France . The Australian was called up from triple-A Buffalo, enjoyed his six-month anniversary with wife Kristi, and gave his mother Debbie a long-distance present as she celebrated her birthday Down Under. Hendriks capped a day to remember with an impressive 5 2/3-inning performance in Torontos 3-2 win over Oakland at Rogers Centre. The 25-year-old right-hander allowed three hits and one earned run for his first major-league victory since last August. "Its kind of a big deal today for me," he said. Steve Tolleson staked Hendriks to an early lead with a two-run shot -- his first homer of the season -- in the second inning and the Blue Jays scratched out another run in the third. Hendriks allowed a solo homer to Brandon Moss in the fourth inning. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth and left to a standing ovation in the sixth inning. "That was incredible," he said. "I got tingles all over my body for that. This is such a good crowd up here. Its fantastic. They know their baseball up here." Hendriks, who spent parts of the last three seasons with the Twins, earned the callup with a sparkling 5-0 record and 1.48 earned-run average this season with the Bisons. He hopes to take full advantage of this second chance in the big leagues. "Its a huge thing for me," he said. "I was given opportunities in Minnesota and I didnt capitalize on them. Now Ive got a different mindset coming into the season of just getting ready, getting aggressive and getting after guys early. "I think its paid dividends so far and hopefully I can continue this trend and stay up here all year." Toronto manager John Gibbons was impressed. "I would definitely say hes earned another start," he said. The Blue Jays have won four straight games, nine of their last 11 and improved to 11-11 at home this season. Toronto (27-22) is five games over .500 for the first time in over two years. The Blue Jays also lead the American League East division. The last time they were alone in first place this deep into the season was way back on July 6, 2000. It was Tollesons first home run in a Toronto uniform and first in the majors since he went deep on June 10, 2012 with Philadelphia. "We have a tremendous lineup, I mean Melky (Cabrera), Jose (Bautista), Eddie (Encarnacion), all of these guys have been swinging the bat really well," said Tolleson, who batted seventh. "When the bottom of the order can get on base and they can drive us in or produce some runs ourselves that just helps everybody." Scott Kazmir (5-2) shouldered the loss for American League West-leading Oakland (30-18). He allowed five hits and three earned runs over seven innings. However, it was the southpaws throwing error in the third inning that allowed the eventual winning run to score. With Kevin Pillar aboard after a double, Kazmir threw to second base on a pickoff attempt but no one was covering the bag. Pillar ran to third on the play and scored when Jose Reyes hit a slow grounder to the right side of the infield. "That turned out to be costly," Kazmir said. "I should have held on to it. It ended up being the difference-maker in the game." Jed Lowrie was playing shortstop and Nick Punto was at second base. "(Kazmir) thought that I was going to go to the base and I was just there to hold (Pillar) on just a little bit longer because he was extending his lead," Lowrie said. "I wanted to stay there. He looked back and thought I was going to break and I didnt have any plans to." The Athletics made it a one-run game in the eighth inning and threatened in the ninth. Coco Crisp hit a two-out double off Casey Janssen and stole third but the Toronto closer got Lowrie to ground out for his sixth save in six opportunities. Notes: Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (4-4) will get the start Saturday afternoon against Jesse Chavez (4-1). ... The Blue Jays will host Tampa Bay and Kansas City during the homestand next week. ... Hendriks allowed three walks and had three strikeouts. ... Moss has 11 homers on the season. ... Bautista, who walked in the third inning, has reached base safely in 48 of 49 games this season. He leads the major leagues with 42 walks. ... Announced attendance was 21,007 and the game took two hours 37 minutes. Vente Nike Air Force 1 . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver. Nike Air Force 1 Pas Cher .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes hope they now have the leadership tandem in place to turn the franchise around. http://www.nikeairforce1france.fr/ . - The Green Bay Packers got back to work on Friday without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.CALGARY -- Calgary Flames interim general manager Brian Burke defended his head coach Monday and said Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella "oughta keep his mouth shut." Burke, also Calgarys president of hockey operations, countered Tortorellas post-game comments after Sundays game in Vancouver, where the Canucks won the regular-season finale 5-1. Tortorella had objected to the actions of Flames head coach Bob Hartley when Canucks forward Daniel Sedin was hit from behind and driven into the boards by Flames forward Paul Byron late in the second period. Sedin was taken off the ice on a stretcher after scoring twice in the game, while Byron was slapped with a five-minute major and a game misconduct. "Its embarrassing to coach against the guy across from me tonight," Tortorella said. "Some of the things that went on when Danny was hurt, its embarrassing. "I dont like the way he does business. I dont like him, and eventually I guess why I am talking about it in this way is because I need to protect my players and a lot of people dont understand that, so Ill just leave it at that. Tortorella feuded with Hartley in Vancouver on Jan. 18 when he tried to get into Calgarys locker-room following a line brawl. Tortorella was suspended for 15 days. Hartley wouldnt bite Monday when reporters asked Calgarys head coach about Tortorellas comments, but Burke weighed in. He called Tortorella a friend before launching his counter-attack. "Our coach acted completely appropriatelyy last night and Torts oughta keep his mouth shut," Burke said. Nike Air Force 1 Destockage. "Apparently what outraged him was the cardinal sin of our coach arguing for a penalty while Daniel Sedin was being tended to on the ice. "Paul Byron hit him. We think its a hockey play. We dont think its worth five minutes. We dont think its worth further review. Call a five-minute penalty because the player is hurt, thats fine with us. "Now the player gets attacked, punched repeatedly, no penalty. Where are the minor penalties against our player? Smallest player on the ice besides Johnny Gaudreau gets mugged, nothing. "Bob had the temerity and the audacity to argue with the officials for these penalties while Daniel Sedin was on the ice. No one likes to see a player get hurt. We hear Daniel is fine, which is great news, but that is when Bob has to argue that. "What Bob Hartley did last night was exactly what John Tortorella would have done had it been one of our players lying on the ice and he felt there was an inequity in the penalty calls. "John Tortorella was on my staff for the Olympics in 2010. Hes a good guy. I dont know whats going on in his head, but you know what? Shut your mouth and worry about your team. Leave my coach alone." The players in question seemed ready to make peace. Byron said he texted Sedin on Monday morning to apologize for the hit. "He responded," Byron said. "I think he appreciated the text and Im really glad hes OK." ' ' '