Opening Up About Opening Day

So Opening Day has come and gone.

In case you missed it, Shaun Marcum no-hit the Rangers through six innings as the Jays jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Vernon Wells and Adam Lind each had a home run to provide the offense.

The no-no was eventually broken up by a Vladdy Guerrero single, which came right after Marcum had walked Josh Hamilton. The next batter was Nelson Cruz, who belted a three-run homer to right-center. He hit a pitch that was low and away off the end of the bat, which floated out with a little help from the swirling winds at Rangers Ballpark. Tie game.

The Blue Jays would battle right back in the top of the 8th: a walk issued to Jose Bautista and a double from Aaron Hill put runners at 2nd and 3rd for Adam Lind. The Rangers elected to intentionally walk Lind, which brought up Vernon Wells with the bases loaded and one out. Vernon came through with RISP, smacking an RBI single that plated Bautista. 4-3 Blue Jays. Unfortunately, that would be all the damage done, as Lyle Overbay struck out and John Buck flied out to end the inning.

Scott Downs pitched a perfect 8th, and Jason Frasor was brought in to close it out in the 9th.

An Opening Day victory for the Jays was not to be, as Michael Young led-off with a double to right-center, followed by a single, a double, an intentional-walk, and a game-winning single from Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Rangers won 5-4 in dramatic fashion.

A heartbreaking way to start the season, but once the disappointment faded I started to think about all of the positives.

Shaun Marcum, in his first major league start since 2008, pitched a stellar game. Although he gave up those three runs, he was not hit all that hard. A fantastic start to the season for our new number 1 starter.

Adam Lind went 3 for 3 with a home run just a few days after his new contract extension. He is such a crucial component of this team's offense.

No less crucial is Vernon Wells, who went 3 for 4 and homered in his first at-bat of the season. The Vernon Wells Hatred Advisory System is still stuck at "ELEVATED", but I can sense some optimism brewing amongst the fans. Keep it up V-Dub!

Travis Snider did not have a good day at the plate, getting struck out three times in an 0 for 4 afternoon. However, he's really surprising a lot of people with the quality of his defensive play. He looks slimmer and generally more athletic. A nice diving grab out in left field was the highlight of his day.

I've been reading some of the post-game commentary, and it seems like a lot of people are already sipping the Cito "haterade". I've read criticism of the decision to leave Marcum in after the no-hitter was broken up, and letting Overbay/Buck hit with the bases loaded. The only one that I agree with is not having Randy Ruiz pinch hit for Buck in the 8th with the bases loaded and 2 outs. The Jays needed to tack on some runs, and while Ruiz at first in place of Overbay hurts the defense, letting Jose Molina come into the game to catch does not. If Cito isn't going to use Ruiz in that situation, I don't know when he will.

Overall, not the greatest Opening Day for the Jays, but let's cool out. Patience is a virtue that Jays fans will need to learn if they haven't already. There were glimmers of brilliance in defeat. Hopefully, they bounce back with a solid game on Wednesday. Brian Tallet goes for the Jays... in the name of positivity, no comment. Go Jays!