Wed Apr 23 10:57:42 2008

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Halladay leads Jays against Rays

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(Sports Network) - Workhorse right-hander Roy Halladay will try for a third straight complete game tonight, when the Toronto Blue Jays play the Tampa Bay Rays in the second of a special three-game series at the Disney Sports Complex in Orlando.

Halladay, who is 9-4 with a 3.66 earned run average in 23 career appearances (20 starts) against Tampa Bay, has gone the distance in two straight outings after defeating Texas on April 12 and then losing to the Rangers on April 17.

He went seven and eight innings, respectively, in his initial two starts of the season, and has combined to allow 32 hits and 12 runs so far in 33 innings. Halladay has also walked five and struck out 21 batters.

Halladay has won 16 games in each of the past two seasons, including a 16-7 performance in 2007, when he worked a team-high 225 1/3 innings and posted a 3.71 earned run average.

Former 10th-round draft pick Jason Hammel tries for a second straight win for the Rays.

The 25-year-old scattered six hits and allowed three runs in his last start on April 17 in Minnesota, defeating the Twins by a 7-3 score. Hammel has started against Toronto three times in his career, going 1-0 with a 5.14 ERA in 14 innings.

On Tuesday, Eric Hinske finished a single shy of a cycle, drove in two runs and scored three times to lead the Rays to a 6-4 win over Toronto.

Dioner Navarro, who was reinstated from the disabled list before the game, went 3-for-4 with two RBI for Tampa Bay, which has won two of three. Evan Longoria added a homer for the Rays.

James Shields (2-1) gave up four runs -- two earned -- in a seven-inning start. He allowed six hits and two walks, but struck out five. Troy Percival pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his second save of the season.

Vernon Wells hit a solo homer, while Marco Scutaro went 1-for-3 with two RBI for Toronto, which has lost two in a row. Starter Jesse Litsch (2-1) lasted just 3 1/3 innings after surrendering five runs on eight hits and two walks.

These teams split 18 matchups a year ago, but Toronto holds a 32-24 edge in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign.