Halladay leads Blue Jays vs. Red Sox 

Halladay leads Blue Jays vs. Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox will spend Memorial Day in Canada as the American League East division leaders head to Toronto for a key three-game series with the Blue Jays beginning tonight.

The Red Sox come in fresh of a four-game sweep of Tampa Bay and currently hold a two-game edge on the rival Yankees for first place in the division, with Toronto lurking at 3 1/2 games back.

Boston completed the sweep on Sunday behind eight shutout innings from Tim Wakefield, then survived a four-run rally from the Devil Rays in the ninth inning to hold on for a 5-4 victory.

Wakefield (4-6) gave up five hits while striking out four and walking one. He is now 14-2 with a 2.77 earned run average lifetime against Tampa Bay.

Relievers Rudy Seanez and Julian Tavarez nearly coughed up the 5-0 lead in the ninth, but Red Sox left fielder Willie Harris gunned down Joey Gathright at the plate to prevent the tying run from scoring and record the game's final out.

Mark Loretta finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and extended his hitting streak to 13 games for Boston, while Trot Nixon had a pair of hits and a run batted in.

Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in his first game back off the 15-day disabled list. Crisp suffered a non- displaced fracture of his left ring finger April 9 against Baltimore while sliding into third base

Boston's win streak will be put to the test this evening, as the Sox will have to face Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

The 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner is putting together another stellar season, bringing an impressive 6-1 record and a 2.77 earned run average into tonight's tilt. Halladay hasn't lost since April 9 and the Blue Jays have won eight of the star right-hander's nine season starts.

Halladay dominated Tampa Bay in his most recent outing, allowing just one run on seven hits without a walk before being lifted with two outs in the ninth inning. Over his last four starts, the 29-year-old is 3-0 with a 1.87 ERA.

He limited Boston to a run over five innings in an 8-1 Toronto win at Rogers Centre on April 22, but Halladay wasn't as good against the Red Sox in Fenway earlier this month. He was touched for five runs and nine hits in six innings and received a no decision in a 7-6 Blue Jays' triumph on May 3.

Halladay owns an 8-6 record and a 4.49 ERA in 25 career appearances (22 starts) against Boston.

The Red Sox counter with erratic righty Matt Clement, who was shelled for eight runs and nine hits over 4 1/3 innings in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Yankees. The veteran has alternated wins and losses over his last six starts.

Clement will be facing the Blue Jays for the fourth time this season and is 2-1 with a 5.87 ERA in his three starts against them. One of those wins came at Rogers Centre on April 23, when Clement allowed three runs -- two earned -- in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-3 Boston triumph.

For his career Clement is 2-3 with a gaudy 7.34 ERA in seven starts versus Toronto.

The Jays took two of three from the defending world champion Chicago White Sox over the weekend, but couldn't complete the sweep on Sunday. Jermaine Dye went 3-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored to lead Chicago to a 7-5 win in the finale.

Lyle Overbay had a pair of home runs and Troy Glaus hit his 15th homer of the season for the Blue Jays, who are 4-2 on their current nine-game homestand.

Ty Taubenheim (0-2), making his second major league start, gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings to absorb the loss.

Toronto has won five of the eight meetings between the clubs this season and is 16-10 against Boston since the beginning of the 2005 campaign. The Blue Jays took two of three from the Sox at Rogers Centre last month.