Kevin Millar launches his first home run for the Toronto Blue Jays, a grand slam. (Jim Mone/Associated Press)

Marco Scutaro hit a two-run home run and Kevin Millar added a grand slam in a huge seventh inning on Thursday night to make Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay the first pitcher in the majors with a 3-0 mark.

Halladay went seven innings in the 9-2 victory over Minnesota, striking out eight batters. He didn't allow a single fly ball.

"That's good. You want to keep the ball on the ground," Halladay said.

He is now 8-0 in 10 career starts against the Twins, but he had little room for comfort until his teammates broke out with seven in the seventh.

Toronto improved to 8-3 and has now scored a whopping 77 runs in its surprising early move to the top of the American League standings.

"Everyone is clicking," Millar said. "It's like a snowball effect."

Second baseman Hill went 7-for-10 in the last two games of the series and has hit safely in all but one of the team's 11 games.

Scutaro has reached base in every game this season. The shortstop has 13 hits and nine walks.

Scutaro stays hot

He doubled in the top off the first off Twins starter Francisco Liriano and then tagged up all the way home on Hill's flyball out due to a poor relay exchange in the Minnesota outfield.

Michael Cuddyer and Brian Buscher hit consecutive singles off Halladay in the second, with Cuddyer eventually scoring on a ground ball out.

Cuddyer said after the game there wasn't much more to be had off the Toronto pitching ace.

"He could go out there one day and just throw all cutters and beat you, and then he could go out there one day and just throw all sinkers and beat you, and then he could go out there and throw all curveballs one day and beat you," Cuddyer said.

"Today he had all three of 'em. … It's hard to find a better pitcher over the last seven or eight years than him."

The tie was broken in the fifth when Jose Bautista hit a ground-rule double to centre and scored on Hill's base hit.

Liriano (0-3) took the loss but only gave up two runs and seven hits over six innings.

"Against a pitcher like that, you've got to do the best you can," Liriano said.

Liriano may have left with a slight deficit, but it was Minnesota relievers Matt Guerrier, Craig Breslow and R.A. Dickey who drove their team to certain defeat.

Guerrier gave up a single to Blue Jays catcher Rod Barajas and then Scutaro's drive over the left-field wall to begin the big seventh.

Wild pitch costly

He put two more Toronto batters on base before leaving, with Breslow throwing a wild pitch to bring Hill across, followed by consecutive walks.

With the score 5-1, Millar deposited Dickey's first pitch into the seats in left to clear the bases. It was the veteran's first longball in a Blue Jay uniform.

Cuddyer's hit a homer to centre-field in the bottom of the eighth to make it 9-2, a shot that come off Toronto reliever Bill Murphy.

Jason Frasor pitched a hitless ninth for the Jays to close it out.

Toronto returns to action at Rogers Centre on Friday to begin a three-game set with the Oakland Athletics.

David Purcey (0-1) is the expected starter for the Blue Jays to open the series, with Oakland countering with Josh Outman (0-0).

With files from the Associated Press