SKYDOME Halladay earns 9th straight win, tames Pirates to pass Clemens

Brian Giles hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning in the 8-5 loss.
TORONTO (AP) -- Roy Halladay figures he's just getting started after winning nine straight starts.
"I don't plan on stopping," Halladay said.
Halladay broke Roger Clemens' Toronto record for consecutive winning starts Wednesday night, pitching eight innings in the Blue Jays' 8-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Clemens, who won two Cy Young awards in his two years in Toronto, won eight straight starts in 1997. Halladay, 9-2 after failing to win in his first six starts, hasn't lost since April 15 against the Yankees -- a span of 12 starts.
"Roy has been unbelievable for us," Carlos Delgado said. "Roger Clemens is a really good pitcher, but Roy is coming into his own. We rely on him to carry us, and he's doing that and more."
Halladay and Clemens were teammates in 1998, when Clemens won 15 consecutive decisions after starting 5-6.
"For him, it was a matter of determination," Halladay said. "He started off the year somewhat poorly and decided he was going to go out and do it. That's the type of pitcher he is. When he decides something, there's not anybody that's going to stop him. That's something you try to take from a guy like that."
Allowed one run
The 26-year-old Halladay allowed one run on eight hits in eight innings against Pittsburgh. He struck out nine and walked one.
"I feel good right now. It's easy to feel good when your team is scoring 10 runs every time you pitch," he said.
Delgado hit his AL-leading 21st homer and had a sacrifice fly to push his major league-leading RBI total to 72.
Orlando Hudson and Chris Woodward hit back-to-back homers and Reed Johnson connected later as Toronto won its third straight and sent the Pirates to their fourth loss in a row.
Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon raved about Halladay.
"He had really good stuff. When he gets the lead he's even tougher," McClendon said. "I thought his sinker was outstanding."
Ramirez extends streak
Pittsburgh's Aramis Ramirez extended his career-high hitting streak to 22 games with a single in the first. Brian Giles homered and drove in four runs, three on a ninth-inning homer.
Hudson went 3-for-3 with a walk.
Hudson and Woodward homered off Jeff D'Amico (4-7) in the second, the second straight night the Blue Jays have hit back-to-back homers.
Pittsburgh's Jason Kendall tripled and scored on Giles' grounder in the third. Kendall went 3-for-3 with two walks.
Pittsburgh has lost seven of eight, falling a season-low 12 games below .500.