Halladay Outpitched By Niemann In Return

Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, fresh off the disabled list, was out-dueled by a rookie Monday night in his first game back from resting his man-parts.

Tampa Bay Rays newbie Jeff Niemann (7-4, 3.95 ERA) tossed 7.1 solid innings for his third straight decision, allowing just one run on four hits, walking two and fanning one. That'll do.

One of only four 10-game winners in baseball so far this season, Halladay entered Monday night's game looking for his eighth straight winning decision, which already marked the longest streak in the majors. Instead, he lost for the first time since April 21st, giving the Blue Jays their third consecutive loss, 4-1.

It's been a while for Doc, as he hasn't seen a mound since June 12th, when he exited two pitches into the fourth inning against the Florida Marlins with a sore groin. The righty walked two, struck out seven, and allowed two runs and five hits, but lasted just six innings -- only the second time he's failed to reach seven frames over his last 15 starts.

To the Rays' credit, they've hit 38 bombs this month, and there's still a day left in June to add to that total. They stole three bases tonight too, bulking their major league-leading total to 121. They would've hit 123, but were caught stealing on two occasions.

A bright spot for the Jays in the loss? Third baseman Scott Rolen extended his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games with a leadoff double in the second. You're doing a good job, Scotty. Good luck against Matt Garza tomorrow night, you and your .250 career batting average with 2 strikeouts against him might need it.

[Blue Jays] | [MLB Wire] | [The Sports Lovers] | [Big Sports Fan]