Halladay Leads Majors With 8th Win As Jays Beat White Sox

When Roy Halladay won the American League Cy Young Award in 2003, he hadn’t recorded his first win until May 1, his seventh start of the season.

It might be premature to be thinking Cy Young Award this season – and Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals will likely have some say based on his start of 7-1 with a 0.60 earned-run average – but Halladay is far ahead of his 2003 pace.

After the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Chicago White Sox 8-2 on Sunday before a crowd of 37,147 at the Rogers Centre, Halladay had a major-league leading eight wins.

Adam Lind put the Blue Jays into a 4-2 lead with a three-run homer in the fourth inning, his seventh homer of the season, against White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, 2-4.

Alex Rios hit his fifth homer of the season for Toronto, a solo shot, in the first and Aaron Hill hit his 11th to lead off the eighth against Bobby Jenks.

Floyd couldn’t hold a first-inning two-run lead and, in his five innings, allowed seven hits, including two home runs and six runs.

The Blue Jays lost shortstop and leadoff hitter Marco Scutaro later in the game after he took a throw to his chest while stealing third in the fifth inning.

John McDonald took his place in the seventh.

X-rays were negative but Scutaro said he was in pain and didn’t know whether he’d be able to play Monday when the Blue Jays try to complete a four-game sweep of the White Sox.

Halladay, 8-1 with a 2.78 earned-run average, fell behind 2-0 in the first inning with one of the runs unearned as a result of his own error.

He made an adjustment after the White Sox were swinging at his fastball early in the count and started slipping in some first-pitch curveballs and yielded nothing more.

He allowed six hits and one walk while striking out eight in his seven innings as the Blue Jays improved to 26-14 to lead the American League East. The White Sox are 15-21.

“Fortunately, we figured out soon enough to start mixing pitches earlier,” Halladay said. “A few of the pitches today, especially early in the count, weren’t where I wanted them and caused some trouble.”

Manager Cito Gaston said with Halladay on the mound there wasn’t too much concern being down 2-0 before the Blue Jays came up to bat for the first time.

“You just hope you’re going to come back and get some runs,” Gaston said, “because more than likely he’s not going to give up too many more, not to say it won’t happen. If it’s someone else you might worry about giving up two runs in the first inning.”

“I know myself, especially in that first inning, I felt if I can settle down and stop the bleeding we’ve got a chance this early, we can score some runs,” Halladay said. “I think that’s been a nice part of this year. I don’t expect it.

“But I don’t think you’re surprised when it does happen. I know there are going to be times when you give up those two runs in the first sometimes you don’t get them back. That’s just part of the game.”

On May 17, 2003, Halladay defeated Kansas City and his record went to 4-2 with an ERA of 4.54. Halladay finished the 2003 season 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA.

He says he hasn’t done anything different than he used to that might have resulted in a quicker start.

“No, I think over the years you just learn what you need to be ready,” he said. ” I think you start trusting yourself. There’s times especially early in your career when things don’t start well and you start pressing a little bit and that kind of makes things worse.

“I think that’s just something that comes with time, The more you play, the more your learn what you need and trusting when you are ready.”

“And it is nice to have that good curveball in the back pocket. I’ve always felt good with it but it was nice today because of the swings they were taking early,” he said.

How does he know if the curveball will be there when he needs it like Sunday?

“You don’t,” he said, grinning, “You just trust it.”

The White Sox led off an inning with a hit in four of Halladay’s innings but only Scott Podsednik’s first-pitch double on a fastball that opened the game hurt him.

Halladay was charged with an error on Chris Getz’s dribbler down the first-base line as he took his eye off the ball as he tried to field it and tag the runner.

Jermaine Dye’s single made the score 1-0. Paul Konerko singled to make it 2-0.

The White Sox donated an out when Dye was caught trying to steal third with Jim Thome at the plate. Thome walked but Halladay retired the next two batters.

Rios, whose bobblehead was a giveaway at the game, homered in the bottom of the first to make the score 2-1.

The Blue Jays took the lead, 4-2, in the fourth on Lind’s home run. Hill led off with a single and Rios had an infield single on a chop to third.

The White Sox failed to turn a double play on Vernon Wells’s grounder and that left two runners on for Lind’s drive to right.

Rod Barajas led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and slid home safely with Toronto’s fifth run on Scutaro’s double.

Scutaro was hit in the chest by the throw from catcher Corky Miller as he stole third on Hill’s walk.

Scutaro was in pain for a few minutes but stayed in the game and scored on Rios’s fielder’s choice grounder and the Blue Jays led 6-2.

Hill led off the eighth with a homer on the first pitch from Jenks.