Blue Jays get harsh reminder in opening-day beatdown by Orioles

TORONTO – Nevermind that Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander left and that Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez and Andrew Kittredge are hurt – the Baltimore Orioles are still really good and a prime obstacle on the path to American League East supremacy. 

A reminder of that came on the opening day of a season both hopeful and fraught for the Toronto Blue Jays, who amid the usual pomp and circumstance inherent to a curtain-raiser, before a sellout crowd of 40,734, jumped back into the fray without a long-term extension for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., along with all the corresponding questions a result of that.

Any hopes for a feel-good entry into the 2025 waters faded quickly as Jose Berrios gave up three home runs in five innings of work – including Canadian Tyler O’Neill’s pivotal three-run shot in the third, the sixth consecutive Opening Day in which he’s gone deep – while Zach Eflin gently worked over the revamped lineup during six innings of two-run ball. 

Eventually, what finished as a 12-2 beatdown carried all kinds of 2024 vibes, as a revamped bullpen let the game completely unravel in the late innings, when Cedric Mullins hit his second homer of the day, a three-run shot, off Chad Green in the seventh before Adley Rutschman, with his second, and Jordan Westburg both took Yariel Rodriguez deep in the eighth.

“Like the leader I am,” said Berrios, who pointed to falling behind and poor execution. “I failed today.”

Highlights were limited to Andres Gimenez, batting in the cleanup spot, hitting a two-run shot in the fourth that cut into a 6-0 deficit, and Alan Roden collecting a single and a walk in his major-league debut, which underscored how bleak the day became.

In the ninth inning, there was a legitimate debate to be had about whether backup catcher Tyler Heineman should have pitched instead of Nick Sandlin, the Blue Jays’ fifth reliever to see action.

“Two three-run homers and two outs, that's tough to come back from,” lamented manager John Schneider. “They didn't miss mistakes ... and the final score is the final score.”

One game, of course, does not a season make, but it underlined the Blue Jays’ challenge in climbing back up the divisional pecking order at a time of such uncertainty for the core’s longer-term future.

Given the optimism about extending Guerrero expressed by president and CEO Mark Shapiro last week, it was logical to think the sides would make another push toward a deal ahead of opening day, and ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Thursday morning that the club had made another offer, although a gap remained.

That dragged the months-long saga into the new season, underlining how the Feb. 18 deadline set by the four-time all-star first baseman hasn’t prevented further discussion. Both have also said publicly that they’re open to continued engagement and there’s no reason to think that will change.

After all, at this point, Guerrero and the Blue Jays should have a pretty good sense of what it’s going to take to reach a deal, even if finding a pathway to common ground remains difficult. Shapiro said multiple junctures for more talks remain before Guerrero hits the open market, so it certainly seems that the club will keep trying.

As that plays out, there’s baseball that matters to worry about, too, and the Blue Jays’ off-season changes are now being put to the test.

There are the obvious differences from a year ago — like Santander hitting behind Guerrero, Gimenez at second base and Jeff Hoffman at the back of the bullpen — but also subtle ones, like better lineup balance and the opportunity for Schneider to maximize more flexible parts of the lineup.

Notable in the opener is that three of the Blue Jays’ four hits came in at-bats with platoon advantage — Gimenez batting left-handed in the fourth, Roden in the sixth and Will Wagner in the seventh — and with the way they’re set up now, they can do that more often this year.

Last year, they had the fewest plate appearances with platoon advantage in the majors at 43.1 per cent, a category in which they were also 28^th in 2023 and last in both 2022 and 2021.

When the Blue Jays were running out a lineup that also featured Marcus Semien, Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., that wasn’t as much of an issue.

Now, with less thump but better balance thanks to switch-hitter Santander plus lefties Gimenez, Roden and Wagner, the Blue Jays aim to be more difficult “for an opposing manager to match up, especially out of the bullpen,” said Schneider. “Constructing (the lineup) to where you have spots you're staying pat and spots where you're going to move, putting guys in those spots appropriately. It starts with how you start it and then that definitely affects, with how their bullpen is built, how they're going to probably deploy. It's kind of a never-ending puzzle, if you will, but I do like the fact that we have an opportunity to be a little bit more platoon-neutral than in years past.”

After a spring of experimentation, Schneider also settled on Bo Bichette in the leadoff spot followed by Guerrero and Santander, a combo that for now he intends to run with.

Lacking a clear option to hit behind Santander, Gimenez drew the assignment Thursday, although “that'll kind of move around a little bit,” said Schneider.

“I’m not asking him to hit 40 home runs,” he continued. “Spots in the lineup get so defined now. We've talked with him throughout the course of spring training, very beginning and as camp went on, he knows we're going to move him around a little bit. And I don't want him to change his at-bat. … It's just what club are you taking out of your bag in what situation? He can bunt, he can steal, he can make contact and he can drive the ball. Whatever the situation is, just have your at-bat.”

Gimenez’s versatility is an important piece for the Blue Jays, as is the on-base game offered by both Wagner, who batted seventh, and Roden, who debuted at nine and bounced a single up the middle to open the sixth.

“Take it any way you can get it,” he said sheepishly. “Obviously it's a good feeling. Excited for it to happen.”

To succeed, the Blue Jays will need boosts from the bigger collection of on-the-make/cusp youngsters in-house this year, and Roden, by simply breaking with the team, has already exceeded spring-time expectations, both of the team and himself.

“Absolutely,” he said. “To say that I anticipated me being in the opening-day lineup at the beginning of spring training would have been not the truth. Obviously, though, really excited. And I can't stop saying it because it's the truth. Just really excited to play.”

Rightly so, and every contribution will matter for the Blue Jays who, lacking the power threat the Orioles displayed, need to use pitching, defence and opportunistic offence when the thump isn’t there to overcome the home-run gap.

With Berrios a tick off, that was costly Thursday.

“First day, you feel that adrenaline go high and then it starts going down. I felt it,” said Berrios. “But that's part of the day. That's part of being an opening-day starter and I had to handle that. Other than that, I felt strong. But I didn't throw quality pitches.”

That’s not a good recipe, especially against the Orioles. But they’re at the level the Blue Jays want to get back to and the new season is on. As their slogan says, lights up, let’s go.