Blue Jays batter Rays pitching to split season-opening series

ST. PETERSBURG — Coming into this season, the Rays’ starting pitching depth was their biggest question mark. On Sunday, there were no answers about how they are going to fill out their rotation until they can get some help from the injured list.

Tyler Alexander, the bulk reliever, struggled with his command as the Blue Jays battered the Rays 9-2 in front of an announced crowd of 14,875 at Tropicana Field.

With four RBIs and three hits, including a home run, from veteran slugger Justin Turner, the Blue Jays (2-2) salvaged a series split. The Rays (2-2) have not lost a series to start a season for the sixth consecutive year.

Randy Arozarena homered for the second straight game — the only run scored off Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman — and Isaac Paredes hit his first homer of the season.

That was about the only thing the Rays could take away from Sunday.

Alexander had won the fifth starter spot out of spring training, albeit a spot that is a placeholder until Taj Bradley or Shane Baz is ready to step back into the rotation. Sunday he allowed five earned runs on six hits, including two home runs, and two walks. He struck out four in five innings of work.

“Historically he really commands the baseball, so (I’m) confident that today just didn’t go his way,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “But he’s going to get back to executing pitches, throwing it where he wants. Yeah, ideally, when you’re not a big strikeout guy and you’re not sitting in those upper-90 zones, commanding the baseball early in the count is a big benefit.”

In his first inning, Alexander allowed a two-out rally with a single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa and then back-to-back walks to George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He then had to face Turner with the bases loaded, but put himself even further in the hole when he violated the pitch clock and started 1-0 against the veteran hitter. Turner slapped a line drive to leftfield for a two-run double.

The lefty got through the third and fourth innings before Turner crushed an elevated fastball for his first home run of the season and his fourth RBI of the day. Alexander also gave up a two-run homer to Davis Schneider before getting out of the fifth.

“My misses were in the zone, but they were in bad places in the zone,” Alexander said. “Like, the fastball up to JT wasn’t quite up enough. Homer to Schneider, down and in, not where you want.”

Alexander has some time to pitch his way into what the Rays planned for this season. They knew there would be bumps along the way when they had to almost totally rebuild their rotation from last season.

Only Zach Eflin remains from last year’s opening day rotation. Tyler Glasnow was traded and Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rassmussen all had elbow surgery. They began this season with a rotation of Eflin followed by Aaron Civale, Zack Littell, Ryan Pepiot and Alexander, who came in after opener Shawn Armstrong on Sunday.

So far, Civale, who struggled after being traded here last season, and Littell, a former reliever who filled in last season when injuries hit, had encouraging starts to the season, while Eflin scuffled in his first start.

They do expect to have Bradley, who injured his pectoral muscle in spring training, and Baz, coming back from 2022 Tommy John surgery, back sometime in the first half of the season.

But on Sunday, Rays pitchers walked eight batters, including four from Jacob Waguespack. Another of the pitchers the Rays brought into spring training hope they could use as a bulk pitcher behind an opener when needed, Waguespack allowed two earned runs on a hit. He struck out two.

“I thought we fell behind a little bit, probably as a staff, we just fell behind and then Toronto really capitalized,” Cash said. “A couple walks mixed in with some big hits. They had baserunners on and really threatening for big innings, it felt like, throughout the course of the game. It just wasn’t our day on the mound, but confident we’ll bounce right back.”

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