Halladay too tough for the Yankees, 5-0

TORONTO -- When it comes to Roy Halladay, Derek Jeter has seen enough. The New York Yankees shortstop considers his American League East rival to be the game’s best starter.

Halladay threw a two-hitter and Matt Stairs and Rod Barajas homered to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-0 victory over the Yankees on Friday night.

“He never throws a ball over the middle of the plate,” Jeter said of Halladay. “If you face him four or five times a game, you might get one pitch over the plate. He goes from corner to corner as good as any pitcher in the game.”

Halladay (11-6), who won his third start in a row, struck out eight and walked one. He is 8-1 over his past 12 starts.

Around the League

The Baltimore Orioles fired a high-ranking scout after Major League Baseball’s newly formed investigative unit linked him to a gambling probe. The fired scout, Alan Marr, was national cross-checker for the Orioles and the top person listed in the team’s scouting directory. The gambling investigation that led to his firing first was reported Friday by SI.com.