Halladay's next start pushed back

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TORONTO -- Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay won't pitch again until at least next Saturday because of a mild groin strain.

Halladay (10-1), who leads the majors in wins and innings (103), left Friday night's game against Florida two pitches into the fourth. He tried one warmup pitch before walking off the field, the first time in 14 starts this season that he hasn't gone at least seven innings.

The Blue Jays will shuffle their rotation to give Halladay extra rest before his next start, bypassing him on his regular day Thursday at Philadelphia and holding him back until Saturday at Washington.

"He'd have to convince me he's OK," Toronto manager Cito Gaston said.

Gaston praised the 2003 Cy Young winner for not pushing himself when he felt pain.

"He wants to pitch but he's also smart, too," Gaston said. "Some guys might have tried to stay out there, but he didn't. He knew there was something going on. It's better that you're that way than trying to play through it sometimes."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

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