Last Friday, when they opened their season against the Texas Rangers, their starting line-up was arguably the deepest in the American League. Seven days later, the Blue Jays were back in Toronto in front of another large crowd, but after sidelined injuries to Teoscar Hernandez and Danny Jansen, their lineup was significantly depleted this time. Under these circumstances, it is important for aspiring players on the bench to rise and that is exactly what happened as the Blue Jays beat the Athletics 4-1 on Jackie Robinson’s day at the Rogers Center. But first there was another undisputed route from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who leads all-around baseball with five yards after his first solo shot. Later he would make a single and design the first of those which will probably be many deliberate walks this year. But games like this are not exactly unusual for Guerrero Jr., who sits next to Juan Soto and Mike Trout in any discussion about the best baseball players. It was less certain what the Blue Jays could expect from their second cast, but on this front Toronto could not hope for much more. Making his first start to the season, Ross Stripling made four appearances without scoring before delivering the ball to the pulse. It was exactly what the Blue Jays were hoping to get from the right-hand man, who was a key player in the spring training session. There will definitely be more opportunities for Stripling to start this year, either due to injury or just to give the other members of the original rotation a breather. For now, he will return to the bullpen for some rest, while the Blue Jays will decide when they will need him next. Offensively, the Blue Jays depth players were just as important on Friday. Starting in Hernandez’s place, right-back Raimel Tapia stood out twice for his first multiplayer game with the Blue Jays. He also showed his speed in the second inning, scoring from the first to a Santiago Espinal double giving the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead. Starting in place of Jansen, catcher Zack Collins gave two of his own blows. He doubled in the fourth inning, but his sixth bat-bat inning could have been more impressive. Seeking to take advantage of the squad, the A deliberately walked the Espinal so that the left-hander who hit Collins would have to face left-hander Sam Moll. But Collins made a quick sideline for an RBI single that gave the Blue Jays a welcome insurance streak. In the first competition between the two teams after Matt Chapman’s trade, it was Oakland’s side that had the most impact. Infielder Kevin Smith doubled and stood out against his former team on a night when Chapman was unlucky in two bats with two runs. A third member of the trade was nowhere to be seen, however. Kirby Snead, a left-handed comforter who appeared in four of Auckland’s first seven games, made the shortlist before the game along with AJ Puk and Austin Allen. Although no further details have been released, unvaccinated players are not allowed to enter Canada and MLB rules state that they must be on the banned list when their teams visit Toronto. As with all trades involving prospects, it will take years to evaluate this. If all goes well, it could be a win-win situation for both sides. But where trades can benefit everyone involved, only one team can win a given night. Thanks to people like Stripling, Tapia and Collins, the Blue Jays were the ones who came out on Friday.
