Alek Manoah never lost faith in himself, even as he struggled to find the strike zone through 2023 and started this season on the injured list.

The 6-foot-6 right-hander had his best start of the season, allowing three runs – all unearned – over seven innings as his Toronto Blue Jays fell to the Minnesota Twins 5-1 on Sunday. Manoah gave up four hits and a walk but struck out six as his earned-run average dropped from 13.50 to 4.91.

“There’s a lot of outside noise but I worked my tail off every day and I got a great support from all the guys in the clubhouse,” Manoah said. “I know they believe in me so it was just about going out there and doing it.”

It was Manoah’s second start for the Blue Jays after he began the year on the IL with shoulder soreness. He earned an 0-2 record with an 8.69 ERA over five rehab starts for the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, striking out 28 over 19 2/3 innings, before getting called up to Toronto to start May.