ST. PETERSBURG -- Blake Snell’s first Opening Day start did not quite go as planned. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner was making the first Opening Day start of his career, but he said he felt calm going into the start.

Nerves didn’t play a part in Snell’s struggles during the 5-1 loss to the Astros on Thursday; instead, the left-hander said his biggest issue was with the sequence of his pitches.

“I was happy with a lot of things I did. The only thing I was upset with was sequencing,” Snell said. “I didn’t mix pitches like I should’ve been doing. I did it later, but to learn that, it took me giving up home runs.”

Snell allowed three home runs in six innings Thursday, a feat he did just once last season. A large part of Snell’s success comes from the fact that he has four pitches that he trusts in his arsenal. But of his 91 pitches Thursday, Snell threw 35 fastballs and 34 curveballs, including a hanging curveball that resulted in a three-run home run from George Springer in the third inning.

“I fell in love with the curveball and kept throwing it,” Snell said. “It’s a good team, and that’s what they’re going to do. Frustrating, but a lot to learn. A lot to learn, and I’m happy about that.”

Springer’s three-run homer off Snell proved to be the difference-maker Thursday. Michael Brantley added a solo home run in the fourth and Jose Altuve added an insurance run with a solo shot in the fifth.

The Astros' lineup proved a big test for Snell, even with the absence of Carlos Correa, who missed the game with a neck issue, and Josh Reddick .

“It’s a good team and that’s what they’re going to do. I have to be better,” Snell said. “Tip your cap to the Astros; they look really good. They came in ready.”

On the other side of the ball, the Rays had a tough time getting a rally going against Houston ace Justin Verlander, who allowed just one run and struck out nine in seven innings.

“Always tough,” Rays catcher Mike Zunino said. “It’s one of those things early, [Snell] may have been searching for his command a little bit or his offspeed stuff, but as the game went on, it was clicking. Once the [offspeed] gets going, a guy of his caliber can ride it out, he gets good results.”

Austin Meadows opened up the game with his first career leadoff home run, but that’s all Tampa Bay managed against Verlander. The Rays had a pair of two-on, nobody-out situations in the second and seventh inning, but were unable to get add any runs. The Meadows home run was the second leadoff home run in Rays history on Opening Day, following Gerald Williams in 2000.

“It was a lot of fun to be able to do that,” Meadows said. “I was telling the guys I couldn’t feel my body. It was just adrenaline running through my body when I got into the dugout. It’s something you dream of doing. I know it’s going to go down in the record books and history, so that’s pretty special.”

It doesn’t get much easier for the Rays' offense this series: Tampa Bay faces Houston’s Gerrit Cole on Friday. The two-time All-Star is coming off a year during which he went 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA.

“They’ve got a good rotation there,” Zunino said. “But as I said, if we’re competing in these types of games and this series here, we’re going to have to do our best against these guys.”

He said it
“I have to adjust a lot quicker than I did. It took a couple of innings, and it shouldn’t have taken that long. I’m just looking forward to Colorado and getting ready for them, personally. But this team, we’ll be ready [Friday].” -- Snell, on Thursday’s outing