The first week of the new season ended with 3-4 record… which is better than last year’s (2-5), but it could have been much better. A beginning which confirmed that the Jays are hurting in the starting pitchers department.
In the first series, it was not the ideal scenario for the Jays, having to play in Tropicana Field where they don’t feel at ease all.
R.A. Dickey was roughed up for six runs on five hits and six walks and, as it was not enough, the fragile Jose Reyes was knocked out of the lineup after only one at-bat. Last year, Jose was hurt in the Jays’ 10th game of the season, but this year he played about only 10 seconds!
While Dickey was struggling, the Rays’ ace David Price cruised during the first eight innings, allowing only one run, a solo homerun by pinch hitter Erik Kratz.
The second game of the series, was a memorable one for Drew HJutchison and the just recalled Jonathan Diaz.
Hutchison shut out the Rays on three hits and three walks while Diaz got his first major league hit, rbi and stolen base. For Hutchison, who had an outstanding spring, it was his first win since 2012, as he had to regain his form after having a Tommy John type of operation.
Diaz, who earned a World Series ring having played five games with the Boston Red Sox in 2013, had been a 12th round draft pick for the Jays in the 2006 amateur draft.
Sergio Santos, the new Jays’ closer as Casey Janssen is on the disabled list, played with fire in the ninth inning, but registered his first save of the season.
The next day, Jose Bautista went deep twice. Diaz, Brett Lawrie and Edwin Encarnacion played solid defense and that was all southpaw Mark Buehrle needed as he struck out 11 Rays while giving up only three hits and only one walk, to register his first win, 3-0.
Brett Cecil notched his first save of the young season.
Finally, the Jays could not do better than split the four-game series, as the Rays won the finale by a 7-2 score.
Brandon Morrow was not sharp, giving up four runs on seven hits over five innings. And while the Jays trailed by two runs in the seventh inning, Evan Longoria sealed the Rays’ win with a three-run blast off  Esmil Rogers.
One must remember that in their last 21 series at Tropicana Field, the Jays have a 0-19-2 record.
Opening day at the Rogers Center took a turn for the worst as a Yankees’ appeal on a close play at first reversed the call for the third out. Ichiro Suzuki was called safe after the review and rookie Yangervis Solarte followed with a two-run double which eventually led to a Yankees 7-4 win.
Dustin McGowan, who won the 5th starter’s sport in the that week of spring training, had to leave the game after less than three inning, giving up four runs on eight hits.
Yankees high-priced rookie Masahiro Tanaka gave up a homerun to lead-off hitter Melky Cabrera, but settled down as he pitched seven innings, allowing two runs en route to a 7-3 win, backed up by a 16-hits attack.
The Jays tied up the series as R.A. Dickey made amends in the second game of the series, shutting out the Yankees over six innings, on five hits and one walk. The relievers played with fire during the next three innings, but the booming bats of Melky Cabrera (solo) and Jose Bautista (2-run) allowed Santos some breathing room in the ninth stanza, as the Jays won 4-0.
But the Jays fell behind in the rubber match as Hutchinson could not find the plate in the first inning and the Yankees converted two walks, a hit batter and a hit into three runs. He left in the fourth inning, trailing 6-1.
The Jays rallied for three runs off C.C. Sabathia and had the tying run on first base when David Robertson registered his second save of the season.