MLB.com: Kazmir pitches well in first game, but Rays still lose


ST. PETERSBURG -- In the opposing clubhouse, the Blue Jays understood what they were about to get facing 21-year-old Devil Rays starter Scott Kazmir.

"If he throws strikes, he's awfully tough," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons before the Blue Jays' 6-3 win in front of an announced crowd of 9,144 Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. "When we saw him last year, he was wild. If he pounds that strike zone, you don't want to wait around too long. But he's got to prove that to us first."

Kazmir did that, getting ahead, 1-2, on Reed Johnson. The Jays' leadoff hitter bit on the fourth pitch, lofting a fly out to Eduardo Perez in left field.