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Litsch continues Blue Jays' stellar pitching

May 4, 2008 - 3:24 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Jesse Litsch was the latest star on the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Litsch allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings as the Blue Jays extended their winning streak to three games Saturday with a 5-2 triumph over the Chicago White Sox.

Litsch (4-1) yielded five hits and struck out three without a walk to continue Toronto's string of outstanding pitching by its starters.

Over its last five games, the rotation of the Blue Jays has combined to allow just four runs and 19 hits in 37 2/3 innings.

Toronto was coming off back-to-back shutouts over the Boston Red Sox and the White Sox the previous two days.

It was the third straight winning decision for the 23-year-old righthander, who retired the first 12 batters he faced until Paul Konerko's leadoff single broke up a bid for a perfect game.

With Litsch's perfect start, the Blue Jays extended a scoreless innings stretch to 24 2/3 - 3 1/3 innings short of the franchise record of 28 consecutive shutout frames, set in 1985.

Behind the outstanding pitching, Toronto (14-17) has begun to turn around its poor start, including losing eight of nine at the end of April.

"We're just feeding off of each other right now," Litsch told MLB.com. "We're trying to keep things going between us. Our whole staff, we're starting to swing the bats now. It's all coming together. It's a new month, and we're ready to roll.

"People are going to have to watch out for us, I think. We started out slow in the month of April, but that happens. Everyone can start out slow, but it's how you finish, really."

Vernon Wells had three hits and three RBI, including a two-run single in the sixth for a 5-0 lead.

"When you have your pitching staff doing what they're doing, you don't have to score too many runs," Wells told MLB.com. "But it was nice to score a few extra once you get up early. It allows Jesse to settle in and throw strikes. Once we got to 5-0, he did a good job of just going out and throwing the ball over the plate."

One pitch that Litsch has had little trouble locating lately is his sinker, enabling him to post an ERA of 3.00 over his last three outings.

"It's been big," Litsch told MLB.com. "Just being able to throw it for strikes is definitely something I'm going to need to do. I've been doing it for the last two starts, and that's where I need to be right now.

With the sinker, the righthander got 11 groundball outs.

"That's what he can do," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told MLB.com. "He uses his defense behind him, works fast and does all the little things. He competes, and he wins. He finds a way to win. He's one of those type of guys."

Wells opened the scoring in the first inning, knocking home David Eckstein with a single. Eckstein ripped a one-out double off John Danks (2-3), who allowed two runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Marcos Scutaro homered off Danks leading off the third, his first home run since last August 19 when he was a member of the Oakland Athletics.

In the sixth, the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out before Chicago reliever Octavio Dotel struck out Eckstein. However, the White Sox could not get out of the jam unharmed as third baseman Joe Crede's booted a chopping grounder by Aaron Hill, enabling Rod Barajas to score for a 3-0 lead.

Wells followed with his third single - his fifth hit in the first two games of the series.

Toronto's Scott Downs recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning and closer B.J. Ryan worked around a one-out single in the ninth for his fourth save.

Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin both homered for Chicago, which has lost its last four games.