Blue Jays: Tigers win, Gibbons heads home, and Tulo fields grounders
DUNEDIN, FLA.— The Blue Jays dropped a 5-4 decision in Lakeland, Fla., to even their record at 1-1. Righthander Chris Rowley gave up a firstinning two-run triple to Nicholas Castellanos, who scored on a throwing error by shortstop Richard Urena.
Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was the starter and winner for the Tigers. Kendrys Morales had the Jays’ first multi-hit game of the spring, going 2-for-2 with a double.
The Jays host the Tigers on Sunday, with J.A. Happ expected to start.
HOUSE CALLS: Blue Jays manager John Gibbons flew home to San Antonio following Friday’s game to attend to family issues, with bench
coach Demarlo Hale filling in. Gibbons is expected back in camp later this weekend.
LAB LESSONS: Free-agent Curtis Granderson knows the home run he hit to lead off the exhibition opener for the Jays on Friday against Phila- delphia is meaningless. He laughed at being called Mr. February.
The 37-year-old offered his impression of his new teammates. “Very confident. A group of guys that have got a chance to play with each other at a bunch of different levels and know each other very well, just from a personality standpoint, which carries a lot of weight. You know how to push guys, you know how to approach guys. You know what works for guys and what makes guys tick and all those things are very beneficial, especially when you start talking about chemistry.”
FIELD WORK: Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki skipped the trip to Lakeland and took infield ground balls with teammates for the first time. Tulo- witzki, recovering from a severe ankle injury, fielded the balls and lobbed them to coach John Schneider at first.
LONG SHOTS: The Blue Jays early minor-league camp of prospects included a total of 31 pitchers with an average height of just over six-footthree. There are seven Jays prospect pitchers at six-foot-five or taller: T.J. Zeuch and Colton Laws, both sixfoot-seven; Brayden Bouchey, Andrew Deramo, Nate Pearson and Angel Perdomo, all six-foot-six; and Jackson McLelland, six-foot-five.
SHORT STINT: Former Jays outfielder Michael Saunders, an all-star in 2016, ended a two-day stay with Pittsburgh for a better opportunity with the Kansas City Royals.
The Pirates released Saunders to pursue other opportunities after they acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson in a trade with Tampa Bay on Thursday, and the Royals promptly picked up the 31-year-old. Saunders hit a combined .202 last season with the Jays and Phillies.
OH, OHTANI: Two-way player Shohei Ohtani had mixed results in his first big-league mound appearance Saturday, when he allowed a home run and didn’t make it through his scheduled two innings in a 6-5 victory against Milwaukee.
Ohtani, 23, didn’t hit, though he has been launching some long home runs in batting practice. Manager Mike Scioscia said he will serve as the designated hitter early in the week. With files from The Associated Press