Toronto Blue Jays: 3 takeaways from opening series vs. Tampa Bay Rays
By Paul Taylor
Other notes
On the subject of injuries, Randal Grichuk also left Sunday’s game, in the bottom of the sixth. Manager Charlie Montoyo said Grichuk’s back tightened up and he has been listed as day-to-day.
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Assuming Giles is missing for any period of time, the Toronto Blue Jays obviously need to find a new closer. Early speculation has the team either using Anthony Bass in the role, or adopting a closer-by-committee approach.
Thomas Hatch made his Major League debut on Sunday and served notice with a tremendous performance in 2.1 innings of action. (We previously pointed him out as one of the Blue Jays’ top pitching prospects to keep an eye on.) Despite registering two walks, he struck out three batters and most impressively of all, allowed no runs or hits.
Fair or not, there is a lot of pressure on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to produce this season, despite his age. Four hits, one run and a .286 batting average through three games is decent enough, but more is expected from a young man with so much potential.
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Do you have any other takeaways from the series versus the Rays? Moving forward, what are you expecting from the Toronto Blue Jays in their series against the Washington Nationals? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.