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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Roy Halladay doesn't just have the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' number these days.
The Blue Jays right-hander also has their bank accounts, credit cards, vehicles, houses, girlfriends -- you name it. Simply put, he owns them.
Just look at his past three starts against them.
On May 13, Halladay allowed three hits and one run in a complete-game victory, one that took all of 89 pitches. Then on May 23, he allowed seven hits, one run and went 8 2/3 innings in gaining the win.
Last night it was more of the same type of domination as Halladay upped his undefeated streak to six games in pitching the Jays to a 6-2 triumph.
About the only thing Halladay had to worry about last night was over-confidence.
"The biggest thing is going back over and watching the last time we faced them and trying to pick up adjustments that they're making so that I can kind of counter that," Halladay said of his approach. "I feel I've learned about the guys a lot better, I have a better idea of what I want to do but there's also times where they might change game plans on you in the middle of the game.
That's the only thing to be cautious of, that and trying to stay out of patterns too much."
Lately it looks as if the Rays don't have any kind of plan against Halladay, now 7-1. For the past three games, they've showed no patience and that has played into Halladay's hands.
"I enjoy facing teams like that where I can get an out in one, two or three pitches," said Halladay, who threw 84 pitches in his eight innings. "It gives me a chance to be a lot more aggressive and I've heard that sometimes that's the game plan, where they want to get to the first pitch or two and avoid two-strike counts.
"But I enjoy teams like that, that are aggressive. It seems to help me a bit."
If you want to feel sorry for any one member of the D-Rays, it has to be former Jay Mark Hendrickson.
The towering left-hander has had the misfortune of drawing Halladay in each of those starts, all of them ending in losses.
To his credit, Hendrickson put up a good battle this night, holding the Jays to one run and six hits through the fifth and departed with two on and one out in the seventh.
The Rays bullpen, which didn't distinguish itself Friday, especially in the ninth when it allowed nine runs, didn't do much for Hendrickson either.
The Jays rallied for three runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth.
The way the Jays have been swinging the bats, the offence feels it's always just a matter of time before they kick it into gear.
"Absolutely," said Frank Catalanotto, who came off the bench to provide RBI doubles in the seventh and ninth. "We didn't have that feeling last year but this year we know that we're going to score runs and there isn't a team out there that can keep us from scoring the runs.
"It's nice to be on a team like that, to be on an offence like that.
"But we've also been doing a good job of getting those add-on runs like we did in the ninth. The offence just never quits."
So once again -- the ninth time actually -- the Jays have put themselves into a position to sweep a series, something they've failed to do this season.
They may stand their best chance today with lefty Gustavo Chacin on the mound. Chacin is 6-1 on the season but more importantly is 3-0 in three lifetime starts against the Rays.
The sweep could be in like Flynn.
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REPORT CARD
B At the plate: The Jays punched out 13 hits, bunching four of them in the seventh when they rallied with three runs. Frank Catalanotto's pinch-hit RBI double was the key blow of the inning.
A On the mound: Roy Halladay once again held the Devil Rays in check to stretch his unbeaten streak to six games.