DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot said he was ¡°a little bit nervous¡¯¡¯ as he headed to the mound for Wednesday¡¯s Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark.

¡°Putting on a different uniform for the first time in a game setting,¡¯¡¯ Pepiot said, ¡°but when I got out there, I just took a deep breath and let the game come to me.¡¯¡¯

Pepiot, acquired from the Dodgers in the offseason trade for Tyler Glasnow, looked very much at home during his two-inning, 35-pitch scoreless stint in a 3-2 defeat against the Jays.

Pepiot surrendered three singles, but also collected three strikeouts. Justin Turner went down swinging on a 94 mph fastball in the first. Davis Schneider and Bo Bichette were frozen on a strike-three changeup and fastball, respectively. Pepiot also had two walks.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Pepiot¡¯s outing was ¡°inconsistent,¡¯¡¯ but he was encouraged because the second inning was better than the first.

¡°I feel very comfortable here and everyone has made it very clear they are here to help,¡¯¡¯ Pepiot said. ¡°Guys started reaching out right away. They¡¯ve always invited me to do stuff. It¡¯s a good situation.¡¯¡¯

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Pepiot said that extends to working with Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder. They had extended one-on-one chats during the offseason, and ¡°it was about everything but baseball. Travel, family stuff, you name it. That made it even easier to be here.¡¯¡¯

Obviously, in the minds of fans, Pepiot will always be associated with Glasnow because of the trade. Pepiot said he doesn¡¯t feel added pressure to produce, but he expressed admiration for Glasnow¡¯s Rays legacy -- on and off the field.

¡°I know that he was a very well-liked guy,¡¯¡¯ Pepiot said. ¡°He was a good clubhouse guy and good in the community. I¡¯d love to do the same. I like to have fun in the clubhouse with the guys and hanging out outside the field, and I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help in the community.¡¯¡¯

Once Pepiot gets fully settled in, Cash said he doesn¡¯t expect any long-term comparisons with Glasnow.

¡°[Pepiot] doesn¡¯t seem too fazed by that,¡¯¡¯ Cash said. ¡°When your name is attached to a big-name pitcher like Tyler, it¡¯s easy to come up with that [comparison]. But Ryan is a guy who has done a lot of good things through the Minor Leagues.

¡°Kyle [Snyder] said the consistency is what stood out [with Pepiot]. You can layer every bullpen over the other bullpen. They¡¯re all the same with the numbers and metrics. So that¡¯s really encouraging for a young pitcher.¡¯¡¯

Chang injured
In the third inning, shortstop Yu Chang was removed during his at-bat after suffering a left oblique injury during his swing.

¡°It was kind of unfortunate,¡¯¡¯ Cash said. ¡°He¡¯s going to miss some time. He grabbed it pretty good. We¡¯ll get treatment for him and go from there. Generally, these things are tricky. You never know ¡­ three weeks, six weeks, eight weeks? Not sure.¡¯¡¯

Rosario starts in right
Newly acquired Amed Rosario, better known as an established shortstop, started in right field. Although Rosario hasn¡¯t played much outfield in the Majors, he will have a versatile role with the Rays.

¡°We¡¯re trying not to run [infielders] into the ground, because we want them to be good [and fresh],¡¯¡¯ Cash said. ¡°We also want to see what [Rosario] is capable of doing in the outfield. I know it¡¯s only a handful of games, but he has worked hard.

? Rosario willing to play wherever Rays need him

¡°We¡¯ve all made it pretty clear. It¡¯s a huge benefit to be able to go out there and contribute in the outfield. I looked at [Jose] Siri and said, ¡®Hey, if it goes out to right-center,¡¯ you just say, ¡®Take it! Take it!¡¯ He could be running in circles a little bit.¡¯¡¯

It didn¡¯t take long for action. On the first pitch to a Blue Jays batter, Bichette lifted a fly ball to Rosario. After a second-inning leadoff walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Turner lifted a bloop to right that seemed to deceive Rosario. It fell in front of Rosario, who quickly threw to second for a forceout of the sliding Guerrero.

¡°I won¡¯t pass too much judgment on the first few games, but overall, I thought he looked good,¡¯¡¯ Cash said.

Siri wants 30 steals (at least)
In the second inning, Jose Siri stole second base off Blue Jays starter Paolo Espino, then stole third on the next pitch.

¡°Last year, I focused on the home-run hitting [with 25], and last year with the rule changes, I stole a few bases [12],¡¯¡¯ Siri said through team interpreter Manny Navarro. ¡°Now I want to be aggressive and not have the fear [of being thrown out]. I¡¯m trying to steal more bases and focus on that.¡¯¡¯

Siri said his goal is 30 stolen bases -- at least. How about a 30-30 season?

¡°You never know,¡¯¡¯ Siri said.

¡°He¡¯s very confident when he gets on base,¡¯¡¯ Cash said. ¡°That confidence is very instinctive. That¡¯s a quality of the elite baserunners and base-stealers.¡¯¡¯