Jays top Rays in season opener

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Expectations are high for the Blue Jays this year, and they didn’t disappoint on opening day.

The Jays opened in Florida yesterday, taking a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Concerns about Edwin Encarnacion not batting in a major league spring training game faded quickly, as he drove home two runs with a single in the first inning. Kevin Pillar hit an RBI single in the fourth, and Troy Tolowitzki knocked one out of the park in the eighth bringing home Encarnacion and providing the first home run of the 2016 season for any player. But one of the biggest story for the Jays was the performance of starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, who threw eight-plus innings and held Tampa to three runs on six hits.

The Jays have three more games against the Rays before their first home opener against the Red Sox on Friday.