CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) _ Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Randy Wolf is trying not to smirk after each outing, but it appears he was right all along.

Wolf, whose readiness to start the season in the big leagues was questioned less than a week ago, had his second straight brilliant outing Thursday night. The Phillies lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 with help from reliever Wayne Gomes' throwing error in the eighth inning.

Wolf allowed only one hit in five shutout innings with three walks and three strikeouts. He felt so good that he even threw a few pitches in the bullpen afterward.

``I guess in a small way, I felt I had to prove something,'' Wolf said.

The 23-year-old left-hander was hit hard in his first two starts, and he sent up red flags for manager Terry Francona when he said spring training stats don't matter. Francona wanted Wolf to understand that a spot in the rotation _ or on the opening day roster _ was not guaranteed.

``Those outings I had early, I wasn't happy about that,'' said Wolf, whose ERA is 0.84 in his last two starts. ``I don't like giving up runs. I don't like giving up home runs. I don't like walking people. I was bitter about that.''

Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay allowed one run and six hits in six innings, striking out one and walking three.

``I could have gone longer, but I've got to improve my control,'' Halladay said.

Wolf left after five innings with a 1-0 lead, but Carlos Reyes allowed Tony Batista's solo homer in the seventh. In the eighth, Gomes walked leadoff hitter Brad Fullmer, who later scored when Gomes fielded Chris Woodward's sacrifice bunt attempt and threw the ball into left field.

Pinch-hitter Luis Lopez followed with a two-run single for the final margin as the Blue Jays won their eighth straight.

Halladay had runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, but got Mike Lieberthal to hit into a double play with the bases loaded to get out of the third. He allowed only one baserunner in the next three innings _ a walk to Wolf.

Notes: Halladay was lethal at the plate. In the same at-bat, he hit a ball girl down the right-field line and scattered players on the Phillies bench with another foul slice. He ended up popping out. ... Blue Jays C Josh Phelps left Thursday for Birmingham, Ala., where James Andrews will perform arthroscopic surgery on his throwing elbow. ... RHP Amaury Telemaco, competing for the fifth spot in the Phillies' rotation, experimented with new mechanics in a minor league game and had mixed results: five innings, four hits, three runs, five walks, seven strikeouts, two homers. ... Former Phillies C Darren Daulton, who threw out the first pitch, met near the mound for several minutes after the game with his former manager, Jim Fregosi.