Toronto ? Roy Halladay feels he is pitching as well as he did in 2003, when he won the American League Cy Young Award. The statistics show he is better.

Halladay pitched a five-hitter for his major-league-leading fifth complete game, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-1, on Monday night.

Halladay (10-3) has won six of his last seven starts and is tied with Chicago’s Jon Garland for the most wins in the AL.

Asked if this season was better than his Cy Young year, Halladay said: “It’s tough to say, but as far as goals and preparation, it’s the same.”

It’s a little clearer when comparing the numbers.

Halladay needed 16 starts to win his 10th game in 2003 and he had a 3.82 earned-run average at that point. This season, he reached 10 wins in 14 starts and has an ERA of 2.33, significantly better.

“He’s having some kind of year,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “He’s in an elite class, and that’s what those kind of pitchers do.”

The 28-year-old right-hander struck out five and walked none for his 20th career complete game.

Halladay leads the AL with 108 innings. He won just eight games last season because of a troublesome right shoulder.

Shea Hillenbrand homered for the Blue Jays, who reached .500 again (32-32) by ending a four-game losing streak. Toronto played its first home game following a 4-9 road trip.

The Cardinals raved about Halladay after facing him for the first time.

St. Louis outfielder Larry Walker called him “pretty much nasty.”

Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay, left, is congratulated by catcher Gregg Zaun after defeating St. Louis, 4-1, in interleague action. Halladay earned his major-league-leading fifth complete game Monday in Toronto.

“He didn’t win a Cy Young by fluke,” said Walker, who went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

David Eckstein added: “I don’t think film does Halladay justice. You don’t understand how hard he’s throwing the ball with that much movement.”

John Mabry homered for the Cardinals, who have lost just four of their last 22 interleague games. Center fielder Jim Edmonds was a late scratch because of bruised ribs. He said he didn’t think he would play today.

Alex Rios led off Toronto’s first with a double, advanced to third on a grounder and scored on Vernon Wells’ sacrifice fly. Hillenbrand followed with a homer off Jeff Suppan (5-6).

Suppan plunked Hillenbrand in his next at-bat, prompting plate umpire Bob Davidson to warn Suppan and both dugouts. No further incidents occurred.

Suppan allowed three runs on eight hits in seven innings.

“Three runs in seven innings, that’s a quality job when you are facing a guy like Halladay,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. “He hung with it and gave us a chance.”

Mabry homered off Halladay in the fourth, cutting Toronto’s lead to 3-1.

Toronto’s Reed Johnson added an RBI single in the eighth off Cal Eldred.

Angels 11, Nationals 1

Anaheim, Calif. – Vladimir Guerrero hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs, Paul Byrd pitched six solid innings, and Los Angeles easily ended Washington’s 10-game winning streak.

The Nationals, playing their first season after moving from Montreal and changing their name from the Expos, had tied a franchise record with their 10-game winning streak.

Coming off a 12-1 homestand that vaulted them into the NL East lead, the Nationals lost for the sixth time in their last seven road games and fell to 13-18 away from home. They’re 24-9 in Washington.

Guerrero went 4-for-4 for the 16th four-hit game of his career, and Darin Erstad had three hits, scored three runs and doubled in a run for Los Angeles. Dallas McPherson and Juan Rivera hit solo homers in the Angels’ season-high 20-hit attack against Esteban Loaiza (2-5) and two relievers.

Byrd (6-5) allowed four hits and one run, on Jose Guillen’s RBI single in the sixth. The Angels’ right-hander walked one and struck out three.

Red Sox 10, Reds 3

Boston – Manny Ramirez hit a three-run homer, and Matt Clement rebounded from his only loss of the season to lead Boston over Cincinnati in the first meeting of the teams since the 1975 World Series.

Clement (7-1) allowed three runs and six hits in eight innings. He struck a season-high nine batters and walked one.

Boston scored nine runs off Eric Milton (3-8), who matched his career-high for runs allowed, set in 2002 against Cleveland.

Devil Rays 5, Brewers 3

St. Petersburg, Fla. – Jonny Gomes and Travis Lee homered to back Doug Waechter, helping Tampa Bay to consecutive victories for the first time in more than two weeks.

Prince Fielder, son of former major league star Cecil Fielder, made his major-league debut for Milwaukee after being promoted from Triple-A Nashville. The Brewers’ first-round pick in the 2002 amateur draft went 0-for-4.

Waechter (3-3) allowed three runs and eight hits in eight innings, struck out six and walked one. Danys Baez finished for his eighth save in 14 chances.

Chris Capuano (5-6) allowed four runs and 12 hits in seven innings. Chad Moeller and Lyle Overbay homered for the Brewers, who have lost five in a row.

Rangers 7, Braves 3

Arlington, Texas – Alfonso Soriano homered twice against Tim Hudson in the pitcher’s shortest outing for Atlanta, and the Rangers beat the Braves for the first time.

Chris Young (6-3) pitched seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts and one walk while allowing just two singles. The 6-foot-10 right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.78.

Hudson (6-5) was pulled four batters later with two runners on. In 22â3 innings, the right-hander allowed five runs on five hits and matched a season high with five walks while throwing 76 pitches – 38 balls and 38 strikes.

D’backs 8, White Sox 1

Chicago – Shawn Estes pitched his first nine-inning complete game since 2003, and Luis Gonzalez and Troy Glaus hit consecutive home runs during a six-run second inning for Arizona.

Chicago’s Frank Thomas homered in the fourth inning, then limped off the field because of a cramp in his left leg after singling in the sixth. The White Sox did not immediately announce more details on the condition of Thomas, who missed the first two months of the season while rehabilitating an ankle.

Estes (5-4) allowed eight hits, struck out five and walked none in his 13th complete game in 264 major-league starts.

Jose Contreras (3-3) gave up eight runs and nine hits – including a career-high four homers – in six innings, Contreras, whose ERA rose from 3.13 to 3.81, threw just 55 of 118 pitches from strikes.

Orioles 8, Astros 5

Baltimore – Jay Gibbons and Larry Bigbie homered in a six-run second inning, and the Orioles ended the Astros’ five-game winning streak.

Orioles rookie Hayden Penn (1-0) earned his first big-league win despite allowing five runs and seven hits in 52â3 innings. B.J. Ryan, the fourth Baltimore pitcher, worked the ninth for his 17th save.

Playing in his first game since going on the disabled list May 28 because of a strained left hamstring, Bigbie hit his first home run of the season and enjoyed his first three-hit game. He also walked and stole a base.

Jason Lane and Morgan Ensberg both hit two-run homers, and Mike Lamb had three hits for the Astros, now 7-24 on the road.

After Lane gave Houston a 2-0 lead in the second inning, Baltimore got seven hits – five for extra bases – off Brandon Backe (4-6) in the bottom half.