DUNEDIN, Fla. — On a starting pitching staff full of potential aces, Marco Estrada will be the first card played when the Blue Jays open the season next Monday in Baltimore.
Manager John Gibbons on Sunday confirmed that the 33-year-old right-hander will get the ball when the Jays finally break spring training and get the season under way against their AL East rival Orioles at Camden Yards.
After Estrada faces the Orioles in the opener, 20-game winner J.A. Happ will get the second start in Baltimore, followed by Marcus Stroman, Francisco Liriano and Aaron Sanchez when the team moves on to Tampa for the second series.