Apr 23, 2006 5 min read

TORONTO (AP) – On an up-and-down day, the Toronto Blue Jays lost A.J. Burnett but regained their ace. Roy Halladay shut down Boston for five innings in his return to Toronto’s rotation, and Bengie Molina hit a two-run homer Saturday in the Blue Jays’ 8-1 victory over the Red Sox.

Halladay (2-1) missed his scheduled start last Saturday because of stiffness in his right arm. The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner allowed one run and six hits, striking out two and walking one.

The Blue Jays needed Halladay to show he’s healthy after placing Burnett on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow injury earlier in the day.

“I felt great,” Halladay said. “I didn’t have anything like I had in the past. I’m excited going forward. I threw 90 pitches and felt good the whole time.”

Halladay’s velocity was down, but he said that was just rust. He worked on 12 days’ rest.

“He came back and threw strong. He wasn’t as sharp as he usually is, but he had almost two weeks off,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “He’s fine. He’s healthy.”

Vernon Wells hit a two-run triple and finished with three hits for the Blue Jays. Troy Glaus had a two-run double.

The new-look Blue Jays are 4-1 against AL East rival Boston and have scored at least seven runs in each of those wins.

“I’ve been here four years and that is the best team they’ve had,” said Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who went 0-for-4.

Boston starter Lenny DiNardo (0-1) allowed seven runs and 10 hits in three innings. DiNardo made his second start in place of injured David Wells (strained right knee).

The Red Sox have dropped three straight.

“When you go against a guy like Halladay the last thing you want to do is get behind,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.

Reed Johnson and Wells singled in the first before Glaus doubled off the top of the wall in left – missing a home run by inches. Molina followed with his homer to give Toronto a 4-0 lead.

“They hit balls with authority,” Francona said.

Alex Rios’ RBI infield single made it 5-0 in the second.

DiNardo allowed singles to Aaron Hill and John McDonald in the fourth before Jermaine Van Buren relieved and walked Johnson, loading the bases.

Rios followed with a sacrifice fly before Wells’ two-run triple to left-center.

Wells went 3-for-4, raising his average to .397. The All-Star center fielder is off to a great start after having what he considered a disappointing season last year.

“It’s great to see Doc back. It’s unfortunate we lost A.J., but hopefully we’ll get him back soon,” Wells said.

Yankees 6, Orioles 1

NEW YORK – Shawn Chacon pitched out of trouble for much of the day, and Hideki Matsui came through with a key two-run double in New York’s win over Baltimore.

On Friday night, Matsui took a called third strike on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, ending New York’s 6-5 loss. With the score 2-1 in this one, his bases-loaded double chased Daniel Cabrera (1-2) with none out in the sixth inning, just before the rain resumed.

It was only 48 degrees at gametime – it felt colder – and the rain let up for a few hours, allowing the teams to get the game in.

Chacon (2-1) lowered his ERA from 8.03 to 5.59, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. Derek Jeter drove in two runs.

Angels 5, Athletics 4

OAKLAND, Calif. – Garret Anderson went 4-for-4 with another homer and Jeff Weaver earned his first win with his new Los Angeles team in a victory over Oakland.

Weaver (1-2), a 14-game winner for the Dodgers last year, outpitched Dan Haren and got quick outs until Nick Swisher’s first career grand slam in the fifth pulled the A’s to 5-4.

Weaver struck out five and walked one in six innings. Brendan Donnelly and Scot Shields each worked a scoreless inning, and Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his sixth save.

White Sox 9, Twins 2

CHICAGO – Jermaine Dye hit a three-run homer and Jim Thome added a two-run drive to help the White Sox win their seventh straight game.

Dye also doubled in a run in the fifth and is 9-for-15 with runners in scoring position this season. Freddy Garcia (3-1) allowed two runs in 6 2-3 innings to win his third straight start.

Thome’s shot in the eighth against Jesse Crain made it 9-2. It was his ninth homer in April, tying the White Sox’s franchise record for the month, set by Frank Thomas in 1996.

Royals 11, Indians 5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Emil Brown had three RBIs to help the Royals snap an 11-game losing streak.

Doug Mientkiewicz doubled, tripled and drove in two runs for Kansas City (3-13), which won for the first time since a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on April 8.

Right-hander Paul Byrd (2-2) gave up seven hits and six runs in three innings for the Indians.

Mike Wood (2-0) allowed just an unearned run and three hits in 4 1-3 innings for the win.