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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
TORONTO (AP) -- Esteban Loaiza called it his best start ever.
|  | | Esteban Loaiza called Friday's effort his best start ever. |
Loaiza pitched a five-hitter for his second career shutout,
leading the Toronto Blue Jays over the Detroit Tigers 3-0 Friday
night.
"I'm really happy with my outing," Loaiza said. "I threw all
my pitches for strikes. I had them off-balance. I was throwing
inside and outside."
Loaiza (9-10) struck out a career-high 11 and walked one in his
first shutout since Sept. 13, 1996, for Pittsburgh against San
Francisco.
"What a marvelous performance," Toronto manager Jim Fregosi said. "He pitched as good as he can pitch."
Loaiza, 4-4 since Toronto acquired from Texas on July 19, got
his first complete game since a four-hitter at Toronto on July 30,
1998.
Catcher Darrin Fletcher said he's never seen Loaiza pitch better.
"He had a real live fastball," he said. "He didn't throw a
lot of change-ups, but he didn't need to because his fastball was
that good."
Detroit's Juan Gonzalez missed his fourth straight game with the flu. The Tigers have lost their last three games.
Tony Clark went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
"Loaiza's always had good stuff, but today he mixed up his
pitches and had good location," Clark said.
Brad Fullmer and Jose Cruz Jr. each hit their 29th homers for
the Blue Jays, who won for the third time in the last eight games.
Jeff Weaver (9-13) allowed all three runs -- two earned -- and seven hits for his second complete game of the season.
Toronto went ahead in the fifth when Mickey Morandini doubled,
advanced on right fielder Rich Becker's throwing error and scored
on Shannon Stewart's single.
Fullmer homered in the sixth, and Cruz homered in the seventh.
Fullmer's 92 RBI are a Toronto record for a designated hitter,
one more than Dave Winfield had in 1992.
Game notes
Loaiza struck out 10 against Texas on April 16. ...
Gonzalez has missed a career-high 36 games this season. With 22
games left, Gonzalez has 62 RBI. In each of the past four seasons,
he has had at least 128 RBI. ... Fullmer has 15 home runs since
the All-Star break. ... Attendance was just 19,121. ... Dunedin,
Fla., will remain as the Blue Jays spring training home for an
additional 15 years. The Blue Jays and the city have reached an
agreement that will see major renovations to Dunedin Stadium.
Dunedin has been the Blue Jays' spring training home since the
inception of the franchise in 1977 and home to Toronto's team in
the Class A Florida State League.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Toronto Clubhouse
RECAPS
NY Yankees 4
Boston 0
Chi. White Sox 5
Cleveland 4
Toronto 3
Detroit 0
Texas 6
Kansas City 5
Anaheim 2
Baltimore 1
Tampa Bay 4
Oakland 0
Minnesota 4
Seattle 2
Houston 13
Chicago Cubs 10
Cincinnati 0
Pittsburgh 0
Pittsburgh 3
Cincinnati 1
(2nd game)
Arizona 2
Florida 1
Philadelphia 2
NY Mets 0
Atlanta 3
Montreal 2
Milwaukee 6
St. Louis 5
Colorado 8
Los Angeles 5
San Diego 10
San Francisco 7
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