Going into Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Toronto Blue Jays were looking to take a 2-1 lead in their opening weekend series. In the end, it was the Rays who came out victorious thanks to a 5-1 victory. It was a win propelled by great pitching and consistent hitting.
The pitching matchup for this game was Yusei Kikuchi for the Blue Jays going up against Zack Littell of the Rays. Overall, Blue Jays fans were hopeful that Kikuchi could come out on top. However, it was Littell who had the better game. Littell pitched a shutout over six innings while striking out six hitters. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays were only able to get six hits on him. As for Kikuchi, he gave up three runs in five innings.
Randy Arozarena of the Rays had by far the most productive day on offense as he had three runs, an RBI, and a home run. Meanwhile, Jose Caballero of the Rays had two RBI. That was not the only action Caballero found himself involved in. As we reported earlier, Caballero and Genesis Cabrera of the Blue Jays got into a shoving match which subsequently led to a bench-clearing altercation. The Cabrera and Caballero situation felt like an amalgamation of the frustrations the Blue Jays have felt over the last two games. However, they will need to keep their composure if they want to get back on track.
On Sunday, the Blue Jays will have one last chance to defeat the Rays before they head on the road to Houston for a three-game series against the Astros. Tomorrow's game will start at 1:40 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will be broadcast on Sportsnet in Canada. Additionally, you can follow along over here at Blue Jays Insider for all of the latest news and updates on your favorite team.