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Blue Jays Fly Past Angels


The Blue Jays' recent six-game losing streak was no mystery to manager Jim Fregosi.

"Our pitching got fouled up. When that happens, you just have to wait for it to turn around," Fregosi said Wednesday after Toronto beat the Anaheim Angels 7-2.

Joey Hamilton (7-7) held the Angels to two runs and four hits in seven innings in his second consecutive strong outing. He struck out five and walked three.

"He pitched extremely well," Fregosi said. "He used his sinker well, had very good control and was aggressive."

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Game Summary

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  • Hamilton has been bothered by shoulder problems this season, but he seems to be getting back on track. After giving up eight runs in one-third of an inning against the Athletics on Aug. 14, he pitched six scoreless innings in a 10-6 victory at Oakland last Friday.

    His solid outing against Chuck Finley and the Angels came a day after teammate Pat Hentgen beat Anaheim 5-1.

    "I've gotten used to pitching with my (sore) shoulder," Hamilton said. "I'm not sure it's gotten better, but at least it hasn't gotten any worse."

    Shannon Stewart extended his hitting streak to 23 games with a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and Jacob Brumfield added a three-run homer for Toronto, which began the day two games behind Boston and Oakland in the AL wild-card race.

    Delgado, who has 118 RBIs, tied it 2-2 in the sixth with his 37th homer, a two-run shot.

    Finley (8-11), who had won his previous three decisions, gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings, struck out nine and walked three.

    With two outs in the sixth, he hit Shawn Green with a pitch, then Delgado homered.

    "They're a good hitting team," Finley said. "I threw a pitch that ran in on Green, and then I hung a split-finger to Delgado. I tried to get it down and in, but it crossed the middle of the plate."

    Jim Edmonds' run-scoring single and Mo Vaughn's RBI double put Anaheim ahead in the fifth.

    "I've never seen games go by like this," Edmonds said. "People are taking bad swings and having bad at-bats. It just keeps piling up. We're just not playing well, with one thing leading to another."

    In the seventh, Brumfield walked leading off, was sacrificed to second and scored on Stewart's single to left. The hit gave Stewart the third-longest hitting streak in club history.

    A two-base throwing error by second baseman Trent Durrington with two outs in the eighth led to four unearned runs against Al Levine. Tony Batista hit an RBI double and Brumfield followed with his second homer in 127 at-bats this season.

    Notes

  • Finley was coming off a five-hit, 5-1 win over Detroit, his only complete game this year.
  • The Blue Jays have 17 games left on the road and 16 at SkyDome. They're 32-32 on the road and 36-29 at home.

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