Frank Thomas remained stuck on 499 career home runs, but the Toronto Blue Jays celebrated a mammoth homer by Matt Stairs that might have travelled 499 feet had it not smacked the upper-deck facade at the Metrodome.

Stairs broke a 5-5 deadlock with the eighth-inning rocket as the visiting Blue Jays dumped the Minnesota Twins 8-5 on Monday.

Matt Stairs circles the bases after homering in an 8-5 Blue Jays triumph.
(Jim Mone/Associated Press)

"He doesn't hit any cheapies," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He is having an unbelievable year, especially for coming in and not expecting any playing time."

"The biggest thing is I feel very comfortable playing in Toronto," Stairs said. "Back in my home country, and a great country it is.

"Everyone knows I am a true Canadian and I take a lot of pride in it. It's all about confidence."

It was the 12th home run of the season for the Fredericton native and made a winner of starter Roy Halladay, who lasted seven innings.

Halladay (9-2) allowed five runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

"The biggest thing is, offensively, we've really swung the bats well the last few games," he said. "It's a nice feeling going out there knowing you don't always have to be perfect and you can grind your way through some of those and we are still going to find a way."

Halladay has won five of six starts since returning from appendectomy surgery, and improved to 6-0 in 10 lifetime appearances against Minnesota.

Jeremy Accardo recorded the final three outs for his ninth save.

"They're a tough team to pitch against with all the running and contact guys," Halladay said. "They make you work."

Vernon Wells and Alex Rios belted back-to-back homers in the third inning for the Blue Jays (38-37), winners in five of their past six games.

Toronto is 25-16 over its last 41 outings, having outscored the opposition by 41 runs over that span.

"I think you have to tip your hat to the team," Stairs said. "We lost nine in a row and we very easily could have rolled over and complained about all the injuries we had.

"Whenever you can tread water around .500 when you're not playing real well, and then you get all your big boys back, and you get more comfortable, you can make a run for it."

Wells fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle, finishing 3-for-4 with three runs batted in.

Rios and Stairs drove in two runs apiece, while rookie Adam Lind had the other RBI.

Thomas went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts to remain one homer shy of becoming the 21st major leaguer to hit 500 for his career.

Thomas almost reached the milestone when he cranked a fastball 408 feet to straightaway centre field in his first at-bat, but six-time Gold Glover Torii Hunter hauled it in at the warning track.

Thomas's first major-league homer came at the Metrodome, off Twins reliever Gary Wayne on Aug. 28, 1990.

Mike Redmond had two hits and two RBIs for the Twins (38-36).

Jason Kubel had an RBI in support of Minnesota rookie starter Kevin Slowey, who surrendered five runs — one unearned — on six hits with five strikeouts over five innings.

"We scored some runs off a very good pitcher in Halladay, and we gave ourselves a chance," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "What you're seeing is we end up going to the bullpen a few too many times."

Reliever Matt Guerrier was saddled with the loss, ending his string of scoreless innings at 14 on the Stairs homer.

Guerrier (1-3) was charged with three runs on four hits in just 1 1/3 innings.

"Bad time," he said. "Wish it was a blowout game and I could've given up a couple runs then."

Justin Morneau, from New Westminster, B.C., was released Monday from a Miami hospital after being treated for a bruised lung, but likely won't return to the lineup until later this week.

Back-to-back jacks

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Hunter walked, stole second base, took third on a groundout and scored on Redmond's RBI single.

Toronto replied in the top of the third with three runs on two swings of the bat.

After John McDonald reached base safely on a botched strikeout, Wells hammered a two-run homer to left off Slowey, his ninth.

Rios followed with a similar jolt to left off Slowey for his team-high 17th homer of the season, tying his career high.
 
Michael Cuddyer walked to lead off the fourth for the Twins, and Hunter doubled to put runners in scoring position for Kubel, who plated a run with an RBI groundout.

Redmond then singled in Hunter to tie it 3-3.

But the Blue Jays regained the lead in the fifth as Lind and McDonald singled to bring up Wells, who delivered a go-ahead run with an RBI single.

Rios cashed McDonald with a sacrifice fly to put Toronto ahead 5-3, but the lead proved shortlived as Minnesota tallied twice in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch from Halladay and a throwing error by catcher Gregg Zaun.

With files from Sports Network