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Padilla sends Blue Jays to fifth straight home loss

Apr 18, 2008 - 3:44 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Not even Roy Halladay's long streak of home dominance could stop the Toronto Blue Jays' slide.

Vicente Padilla tossed seven solid innings, leading the Texas Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Halladay (2-2) was 10-0 in his last 12 starts at the Rogers Centre entering the game and had not experienced a defeat here since May 10, 2007. But start No. 13 brought that streak to a screeching halt as Toronto - which has lost five straight at home - had precious few answers for Padilla (2-1).

The Blue Jays' ace posted his second consecutive complete game against Texas - winning Saturday in Arlington - by surrendering 11 hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

"They got the ball in the air and put it in play," Halladay said. "You know it's tough when the other guys pitches well like that. It's definitely frustrating but it happens, so you gotta get it over it."

Padilla bested Halladay, allowing one run and seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts over seven innings before yielding to Jamey Wright to start the eighth.

"We had our chances, we had guys on, we couldn't get that one key hit to kind of put us back in that game," Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay said. "We were right in it the whole time and just couldn't get anything done."

Wright gave way to closer C.J. Wilson, who worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to notch his fifth save in as many chances.

The performance from both pitchers was especially welcome since the teams used a combined 16 pitchers - including a team record-tying nine by the Blue Jays - in Wednesday's 7-5, 14-inning marathon in the first game of the two-game set won by the Rangers.

"He (Padilla) was awesome, he had really good stuff tonight," Rangers left fielder Frank Catalanotto said. "He went right after the hitters and that's what I liked about him. He challenged them right out of the gate, and we really needed that from him tonight, especially going against Doc (Halladay)."

David Murphy's RBI double opened the scoring in the second. Catalanotto and Gerald Laird each hit run-scoring singles in the third and seventh innings, respectively, to increase the lead to 3-0.

"It's one of those things where I got so face him last week and I got to make adjustments off that," Murphy said. "He's got a heavy sinker. ... I had one good at-bat against him last week and the others I pulled off him a little. I'm just trying to stay on him a little bit and go the other way, and it's just a great night."

Toronto managed its only run off Padilla in the seventh when David Eckstein plated Gregg Zaun with a single.

Laird answered that run in the top of the ninth with another run-scoring single.

Ian Kinsler had three hits for the Rangers, who improved to 5-3 on the road.