Cecil solid as Jays beat Rays

Brett Cecil was tougher on himself than Toronto manager Cito Gaston thought he should be.

Cecil, in the hunt for a spot in the starting rotation, walked four Tampa Bay batters and failed to get through the fourth inning Friday, but the Blue Jays still beat the Rays 3-1.

Rays left-hander Carlos Hernandez, a longshot to make the big league club, gave up three runs before getting the first out in the bottom of the third inning.

"Four walks is not really me, hasn't been me the past couple of years," said Cecil, who threw 27 pitches in the third inning. "It's really frustrating. I'd rather give up four home runs than four walks.

"Honestly, to me it was somewhat of a failure, those four walks," he added. "Walks are a big thing for me. I hate giving them up more than most people. One or two walks a game is not bad, but four in 3 2-3 innings, it's just not good."

Gaston was more optimistic about Cecil's performance.

"He threw more pitches than we'd like to see him throw, but it's just a step forward, not a step backwards," he said. "He held them to no runs and one hit, right? Hey, I think that's a pretty good job myself."

The only hit Cecil allowed, Shawn Riggans' single to left, came on his 74th and last pitch. Jeremy Accardo gave up the Rays' run in the fifth on Adam Kennedy's single and stolen base and Justin Ruggiano's single to centre.

Hernandez started the bottom of the third with walks to Michael Barrett and Joe Inglett. Brad Emaus doubled them home and he came around on singles by Adam Lind and Kevin Millar.

They were the first three earned runs Hernandez has allowed this spring in 12 innings.

"He had that one bad inning when he lost command of the strike zone," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Hernandez escaped further damage when Lind strayed too far off second and was caught in a rundown, and Kennedy leaped and speared Jason Lane's liner near third.