Season opener: Marcus Stroman finally gets his (first) number one starter gig, as the natural heir to David Price. The Rays start Chris Archer, who’s already being hyped as a serious Cy Young contender this year. Stroman is good, really good, and goes eight innings on 91 pitches. Despite giving up a run on a couple of hits and having to pitch over two uncharacteristic errors behind him over the first four innings, he never seems in trouble, and then sets the Rays down in order, from the fifth through the eighth inning; the Jays enter the ninth with a 5-1 lead, extended from 3-1 thanks to Troy Tulowitski’s eighth-inning two-run dinger, the Jays’ first of the season.
Meanwhile, like his last start against the Jays last year, Archer struggles mightily in the first, ballooning his pitch count above 30, and gives up two runs, after wild pitching Josh Donaldson, on with a single, and Jose Bautista, who had walked, to second and third. Edwin Encarnacion brings them both smartly home with a sharp single to right centre. Unlike last September, however, Archer settles, and eventually strikes out 12 over five innings, giving up only a singleton in the third. More on the strikeouts later.
A word about Edwin: He had not a single at-bat against major-league pitching in Florida. He even stayed behind to work on his stroke while the Jays made the Montreal trip. Then he comes to the plate for real the first time this year and delivers. Later he singles and rides home in front of Tulo. 2 for 4, 2 ribbies, 1 run scored: Spring training? Who needs it?
All good, right? Well, maybe.
First, Stroman looks great; there’s no doubt he’s number one in the rotation pending the development of Aaron Sanchez. So, why does Manager John Gibbons send him out for the ninth? Sentiment? Let him go for the opening-day complete game? He throws five pitches in the ninth, three to Corey Dickinson who takes him downtown to right, and two to Desmond Jennings, who singles to centre. Bye-bye Marcus. Bye-bye complete game. It’s now 5 to 2.
Gibbie brings in Roberto Osuna, with Jennings on first and nobody out. I thought closers liked a clean slate and a full inning. Why doesn’t he shake hands with Stroman after eight and play by the rules (the rules of the 21st century, that is)? So Osuna strikes out the next two, and then Jennings breaks for second; the infield holds its ground. Defensive indifference. I know, conventional wisdom and all that: we don’t care about that run. Of course Kiermaier singles him in. 5-3. Then Kiermaier takes second. Defensive indifference. Again. Don’t care about that one either. Osuna bounces one past Martin and Kiermaier’s on third. Finally, he gets Conger on a come-backer to end the game.
Whew—much closer than it had to be. Especially in Tropicana Field, the graveyard of so many Jays’ hopes in the past. Osuna’s great, and should be the closer, but he is only 20, for pete’s sake. Why not let him work in the best conditions?
Oh yeah, I promised another word about the Jays’ strikeouts. So, Archer racked up 12 in five (!) innings. Fine, he’s great. But the Rays’ bullpen notched 4 more over four innings, for 16 in all. The relievers used by Kevin Cash were mid-inning holders, not their top guns. Should we be worried?
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