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Both the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers had won five of 10 games this season, meaning something had to give Saturday night at Arlington.

Roy Halladay lost a shutout bid in the ninth inning, settling for a complete game six-hitter as the Blue Jays humbled the hometown Rangers 4-1.

Toronto Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay delivers a pitch in Saturday's 4-1 win.
(LM Otero/Associated Press)

"He had it all going," Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun said. "It was his night.

"He had a game plan and executed it very well. He made my job easy."

Halladay (2-1) struck out six batters and walked one in pitching his first complete game of the season and 32nd in the major leagues.

The former Cy Young Award winner had struggled in Texas, entering Saturday's start with a 3-3 record and a 7.00 earned-run average, and having given up eight home runs in 10 career games there.

"I don't worry about all that stuff," Halladay said. "You cannot do anything but learn from the past.

"I have never put emphasis on things like that. All I can do is concentrate on executing the gameplan."

Aaron Hill drove in three runs as the Blue Jays (6-5) chalked up a second straight win following a three-game skid.

Joe Inglett had three hits and the other run batted in, while Fredericton's Matt Stairs smacked three more of Toronto's 11 hits.

"They're a good hitting team," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "You cannot be giving them extra opportunities."

Luis Mendoza was activated from the disabled list (blister) in time to start for the Rangers (5-6) and lasted five innings.

Mendoza (0-1) allowed four runs — three unearned — on eight hits and three walks with one strikeout.

"I struggled with my control, especially my curve ball," he said. "I had a hard time throwing first-pitch strikes."

Quick start for Toronto

Toronto took a 1-0 lead before Mendoza retired a batter as David Eckstein drew a leadoff walk to open the contest and circled the bases on Hill's run-scoring double to left field.

It remained 1-0 until the Blue Jays struck for three runs in the fourth inning.

Stairs singled, scooted to second base when Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock misplayed Zaun's soft liner, and scored on Inglett's RBI single.

Zaun took third on the error and Eckstein was plunked by a pitch to load the bases for Hill, who singled to centre to score two runs.

"It was bad," Washington said. "Those guys really opened the game up."

Halladay took a 4-0 lead into the ninth inning, but Josh Hamilton hit a leadoff single and scored on Marlon Byrd's RBI double to spoil the shutout.

"It ended up being a close game," Halladay said. "If I give up a couple of runs early, it might have been a different game."

Toronto had lost 16 of 19 games at Rangers Ballpark prior to Friday's 8-5 triumph in the series opener.

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