Odorizzi has rough outing as Twins get blown out by Jays

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Jake Odorizzi decided to stick to his offspeed pitches Sunday, figuring they needed more work than his fastball as the season approaches.

The Blue Jays confirmed it for him.

Toronto clobbered five home runs, two of them off Odorizzi in a brief two-out start, and the Twins' four-game streak without a loss ended with a 10-1 Grapefruit League drubbing. Bo Bichette and Rowdy Tellez homered twice apiece for the Jays, and Cavan Biggio once as Toronto punished two projected members of the Twins rotation.

Bichette crushed the fourth pitch of the game onto the berm beyond left field, and Tellez blasted one to right, with two walks in between. Odorizzi, the Twins' Opening Day starter last year, was removed after retiring two hitters but giving up five runs on four hits, the first time as a Twin that he had given up more than one run in a spring start.

Odorizzi's concern level: nonexistent.

"It's not going to make me miss a bit of sleep tonight," said Odorizzi, who also threw three simulated "innings" in the bullpen. "I threw a lot of well-executed pitches, and they were just off. I was happy with the shape of them. I didn't throw many fastballs, but that was by design. I'm not going to go to my good stuff when I want to work on the other stuff that's not as good."

It was also a rough outing for Michael Pineda who, like Odorizzi, hadn't given up a run this spring. The righthander gave up three runs on three hits, two of them home runs.

Phil Miller