Rich Harden threw seven sensational innings for his first career victory in Canada as the Oakland Athletics defeated the host Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 Tuesday night.

Harden (3-2), a British Columbia native, came into the night 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in three career starts at the Rogers Centre. None of that mattered Tuesday, as the veteran lefty limited the powerhouse Blue Jays offense to a run on five hits with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts.

Andrew Bailey worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth inning for his 14th save.

Down 1-0 in the sixth, Josh Willingham's two-run homer over the left-field wall gave the Athletics the lead for good. It was Willingham's team-high 18th home run of the season and his second in as many games.

Kurt Suzuki added a solo shot in the seventh off losing pitcher Brett Cecil (4-5), who was charged with three runs on four hits over seven innings. He walked two and struck out five while seeing his personal three-game winning streak come to an end.

Ryan Sweeney provided extra insurance with a run-scoring single in the ninth.

Edwin Encarnacion provided the lone offense for the Blue Jays with a solo home run in the second inning that barely cleared the wall in left.