Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay unwinds during Wednesday's home game. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Roy Halladay threw a career-best 14 strikeouts and went the distance as the Toronto Blue Jays opened their home series with the Los Angeles Angels with a 6-4 victory on Tuesday night.

Halladay was masterful over six innings, scattering just three hits as the Angels never got a runner to second base.

After Toronto scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-0, Halladay was temporarily out of his rhythm in the seventh, yielding all four runs before recovering over the final two stanzas.

Halladay (9-1) gave up seven hits, none of them for extra bases. He threw 133 pitches for his 42nd career complete game, finishing with a flourish by striking out the side in the ninth.

"He was a good as we've seen a pitcher in years, on both sides of the plate with good movement," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

Halladay is the first major leaguer to reach nine wins this season, and he moved to third in the American League with 82 strikeouts. Toronto's bullpen blew a five-run lead in Halladay's last start, while in his previous outing he threw seven shutout innings before the Blue Jays eventually lost.

The right-hander has gone at least seven innings in all 12 starts.

"We're doing different things now, kind of throwing everything to both sides, which at times will give you a lot more takes and swings and misses," Halladay said. "That probably has more to do with it than anything.

"Stuff-wise, I still feel good but being able to do different things and kind of change the way you pitch is essential if you're going to stay around a long time," Halladay added.

Rios goes deep

Alex Rios homered for the second straight game and first baseman Kevin Millar drove in two runs in the game, which pushed Toronto's record at the Rogers Centre to 19-7, best in the American League.

Millar, Scott Rolen and Rod Barajas each had two hits in the win.

Toronto (30-24) didn't get any help elsewhere Tuesday night. The Blue Jays remain two games back of the AL East pace as Boston and the New York Yankees were both victorious.

Angels lefty Joe Saunders (6-4) retired the first seven batters he faced as he did his best to make it a pitchers' duel. Saunders struck out four in 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs and nine hits.

Kendry Morales was the only visiting player with two hits off Halladay, with Torii Hunter and Gary Matthews Jr. striking out three times against Toronto's ace.

"He was a doctor today," Hunter said, referring to Halladay's nickname. "You have got to give it to him. He had surgery on all of us."

Barajas shows off his arm

Halladay needed just nine pitches to retire the Angels in the first inning, helped by teammate Barajas. The catcher threw out Chone Figgins — who had singled — trying to steal second.

Adam Lind got a hold of a Saunders pitch in the second but Mathews Jr. caught the ball on the left-field warning track.

The stalemate was broken in the bottom of the third. Jose Bautista tripled to the gap in right-centre, allowing Barajas to score.

Halladay was particularly dominant in the fourth, freezing both Chone Higgins and Bobby Abreu for strikeouts.

Rios made it consecutive games with home runs when he blasted a shot well clear of the left-field wall. He is now 11-for-29 during a seven-game hitting streak.

The Jays weren't through in the inning. Rolen doubled and came across on a base hit from the right-hitting Millar, who was playing at first over Lyle Overbay.

Maicer Izturis got the second hit of the game for Los Angeles with two out in the fifth, breaking a string of 10 consecutive outs. Angels catcher Mike Napoli went down on strikeouts to end the inning..

Baserunning error costly

Howie Kendrick singled up the middle off Halladay in the sixth but made a huge baserunning error with Figgins at the plate. Thinking there were two outs, Kendrick started moving on contact, falling prey to a double play after Higgins flied out to Bautista.

Lind singled and stole second to start the three-run sixth. He then scored when Matthews Jr. turned a routine single by Rolen into an extra base for both Blue Jays with an error in left.

Millar doubled, stole third and easily scored when Barajas hit safely.

Saunders departed for reliever Rich Thompson.

"No one says it, you just kind of get that feeling as a pitcher," Saunders said. "You know, 'I'm facing Roy Halladay today, if I give up a run I might lose.'

"It puts added pressure on me and added pressure on the team to do whatever they can and for me to do whatever I can."

Singles begin rally

While Abreu and Vladimir Guerrero singled to begin the seventh, it certainly didn't appear a big inning was in the cards for the Angels.

But Halladay walked Hunter and Morales knocked in Abreau with a base hit. Guerrero scored when Halladay uncorked a wild pitch. Izturis and Napoli added sacrifice flies to make the score 6-4.

Scioscia marvelled at the fact Halladay was able to pitch the eighth and ninth as if nothing had happened.

"Then he just turned off the faucet again and finished the game," Scioscia said. "He does so many things well out there on mound and finished his own ball game. That was impressive."

Rich Thompson was strong in relief for the Angels, retiring five straight Jays after walking the first batter he faced, Aaron Hill.

Blue Jays shortstop Marco Scutaro went 0-for-4, ending his hitting streak at eight games.

Casey Janssen (1-1), who won his first game in over two years last week, will get the ball for Toronto in Wednesday's game, up against Jered Weaver (4-2).

With files from The Associated Press