Roy Halladay, who had been 3-0 on the season, suffered his first loss when Texas put up five runs in his eight innings Tuesday.
With the defeat, Halladay's lifetime mark against the Rangers became a pedestrian 7-7, the seven losses being the second most he has accumulated against any American League team. Boston, with 12, leads the list. Tampa Bay is the only other team to have beaten Halladay seven times. Halladay was not pleased that he delivered a pitch up in the zone in the seventh inning that Ian Kinsler could drive for a two-run home run in a decisive part of the game.
"You leave the ball up and it's going to cost you," Halladay said. "It cost me especially in the seventh inning. Obviously that's the one that hurts. It was a poor pitch up and one that I'd like back."
The home run he gave up to Nelson Cruz in the second, another two-run shot, marked the first time that Halladay had faced him.
"You do as much homework as you can, but after the first pitch or two (it was an 0-1 fastball that he wanted to run inside and under Cruz's hands) he was looking in there, and we didn't get it in enough," he said. "It does hurt, but the one that (really) hurts is the seventh inning."
RANGERS 5, BLUE JAYS 4: Ian Kinsler hit a two-run home run off Roy Halladay in the seventh to power the Rangers. Halladay, who worked a season-high eight innings, struck out nine without a walk and has fanned 24 batters over his last three starts. Aaron Hill hit a solo homer for the Jays in the fifth. It was his fifth of the season.
