Burnett allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts, but he faced the minimum three batters in four frames and faced four batters in another inning. A three-run fourth by the Blue Jays in which Burnett allowed a leadoff double to Alex Rios and walked Vernon Wells and Adam Lind before he gave up a two-run double to Scott Rolen proved to be too much to overcome against Halladay.

"I thought our guy threw pretty well, too," manager Joe Girardi said. "I don't think the numbers indicate how good our guy threw. A.J.'s two walks in that inning were the thing that hurt him, but I thought he threw the ball exceptionally well, too."

Bouts of inefficiency have dogged Burnett throughout his decade in the bigs. He threw a no-hitter but walked nine batters -- the most ever in a nine-inning no-hitter -- for the Marlins in 2001. Last year, he ranked fifth in the AL in walks (86), and he has had at least as many walks as strikeouts in three of his eight starts this year.

Burnett is nowhere near the biggest disappointment among the Yankees' three key free agent signings -- that "honor" goes to first baseman Mark Teixeira, who grounded out to end the game Tuesday to cap an 0-for-4 night that dropped his average to .191, worst among AL regulars. But the Yankees, whose bullpen is battered, would benefit if Burnett could discover some Halladay-esque efficiency.

BLUE JAYS 5, YANKEES 1: Roy Halladay faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings and allowed only two runners as far as second base during a complete-game five-hitter as the Blue Jays cruised past the Yankees in the opener of a three-game series in Toronto. Johnny Damon went 2-for-4 -- his fifth multi-hit game in his last nine contests -- and scored the Yankees' only run in the seventh, when he doubled to end a streak of 17 straight batters retired by Halladay. Damon came home on Alex Rodriguez's single. A.J. Burnett, Halladay's former teammate, allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out three in 7 2/3 innings.