TORONTO — Jose Soriano made a great first impression in his new backyard.
The Blue Jays right-hander struck out four batters and allowed one run on four hits with two walks across six innings in his first Rogers Centre start for Toronto in Wednesday's 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
"Jose was great … his stuff was electric," said manager John Schneider, whose team has won the first three of a four-game series against its American League East rival. "He's got a real slow heartbeat. I thought he was really good in control, and has taken to what we've talked about a little bit. Just really trying to get his stuff in the zone. He did that, and we played good defence behind him.
"He's got really, really good stuff."
Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for three prospects ahead of last week's trade deadline, the six-foot-three, 220-pound hurler from the Dominican Republic also registered a no-decision in Friday's 5-4 road triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies.
"Incredible fans," Soriano, under team control through 2028, said of his first home outing with Toronto. "I come here to do my best."
The 27-year-old didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, and his only real mistake of consequence came when Willson Contreras thumped a home run in the fifth.
"He's got great stuff," Blue Jays designated hitter Kazuma Okamoto said through a Japanese translator. "We faced him twice (with the Angels) … glad he's on our side."
Toronto's offence would eventually explode in the eighth inning — Okamoto got things started with an RBI single to plate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after Contreras dropped a pop-up in foul territory — with five runs for a 6-1 lead before the bullpen gave three back, which forced Louis Varland to come on for the save.
"It's nice when you can get six (innings) from your starter," Schneider said. "It really, really takes the burden off."
Toronto (59-63) has now won 10 of its last 14 games as last season's World Series runners-up continue to inch closer to the AL's final wild-card berth, despite saying goodbye to the likes of Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho and Jeff Hoffman prior to the deadline.
Schneider said there's a different feeling and vibe around the locker room now that the rumours and trade dust have settled.
"It's tough to lose some guys," he said. "There's some young guys bringing some energy and there's some guys that have some things to prove. That rubs off on everyone. It's a good feeling."
Soriano, meanwhile, has seen a group grinding since he joined the fray.
"We've been putting everything we have in the field," he said. "That's why we've been playing very well right now."
The hope is Blue Jays can recapture some of last season's magic in this year's playoff race, but one of the new additions isn't looking any further than Thursday afternoon's series finale against Boston.
"We don't try to think much," Soriano added. "If we start worrying about that, maybe we lose the focus."
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