High five! Bichette (5-for-5, 500th hit) helps end Rays' run

TORONTO -- Goliath has fallen, not by sling or by stone, but by stumbling over itself.

The Blue Jays ended the Rays’ unbeaten start Friday, handing them a 6-3 loss and putting history on hold as Tampa Bay was just one win away from sole possesion of the record for the most consecutive wins to open a season in the modern era.

The best way to beat the Rays? Be the Rays.

George Springer got Toronto on the board with the 53rd leadoff home run of his career, which was the second-hardest ball he’s ever hit, but the Blue Jays’ big inning came from clean baseball and patience. After Rays starter Drew Rasmussen loaded the bases in the fifth, both Alejandro Kirk and Santiago Espinal took walks. Then, even more surprising, the Rays botched a routine double play that should have ended the inning.

“I loved it,” said manager John Schneider. “You trust Kirky to have good command of the zone there, but it’s natural to say, ‘OK, I’m going to get a big hit here.’ For him and Espinal to take those walks was huge and kept the line moving. It’s something we’ve been preaching all year. It’s nice to have them do that and not wait back for a big hit. It’s getting contagious.”

This isn’t to take credit from the Blue Jays, though. It’s quite the opposite, as they took what was given to them and stuck around long enough to watch the other guy blink. It’s what the Rays do brilliantly, allowing them to go on such a historic run with a roster that isn’t nearly as star-studded -- or expensive -- as the Blue Jays.

The offense didn’t sit back and kick its feet up entirely, though. Bo Bichette continued his incredible start to 2023 by going 5-for-5, accounting for half of the team’s hits and leaving him with a .391 average and 1.059 OPS.

One game in mid-April doesn’t forge an identity, but we’ve seen already that the 2023 Blue Jays can win in more diverse ways. There have been slugfests, like this week’s home opener in which Toronto launched five home runs in a 9-3 romp of the Tigers. There’s also been small ball and tight wins, though, as this club proves it's capable of shapeshifting. Being able to win with variety was the thinking behind so many of the Blue Jays' major moves this past offseason.

“We can kind of score in any way,” Bichette said. “Baserunning, homers, singles, timely hits -- I think we’re just competing. Everybody competes and everybody gives what they’ve got every day. It’s fun to be a part of.”

This win doesn’t happen without José Berríos, either, which is surprising after he entered in the middle of a year-long struggle and facing Rasmussen's shiny 0.00 ERA. Berríos gave the Rays a different look, though, leaning more heavily on his changeup and slurve to dance around danger against a lineup that’s demolished fastballs.

Berríos, however, limped off at the end of the fifth on just 77 pitches after he took a scorching ground ball from Yandy Díaz off the inside of his left knee. Thankfully, it’s just a contusion and Berríos is expected to make his next start, so the Blue Jays can focus on the positives from his five innings of one-run ball.

“For me, in my position, I can’t overthink and I can’t get scared,” Berríos said. “I’ve been behind and I’ve already had two bad outings. I didn't think about the Rays coming to town, I just looked within myself and I said, ‘We’re going to stop that rally.’ We did. We gave them their first loss of the year.”

There are miles to go from here, surely another 50- or 60-plus losses for each club, but these early games matter beyond the wins and losses. Each side has seen how it fares against the A’s or the Tigers recently, but those clubs aren’t exactly expected to factor in come late October. To get where the Blue Jays want to go, they’ll have to go through the Rays eventually, and they won’t be satisfied with just a Wild Card berth this season.

“Guys are excited to play a big series,” Schneider said. “You, obviously, pay attention to what they did the first 13 games and you appreciate that as a baseball fan. They’re a good team. But we’re solely focused on winning the series.”

As Toronto continues to stack up wins that all look a little bit different, it's building momentum for the many more Goliaths to come.