DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Vernon Wells went 0-for-2 in his first spring training game and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 15-4 on Friday.
Wells, who strained his left hamstring Feb. 23, grounded into a double play and flied out while serving the Blue Jays' designated hitter. The two-time All-Star is expected to be in center field on Saturday against Houston.
Toronto erased Tampa Bay's lead with five runs in the fifth, and scored eight in the sixth.
Rays starter Matt Garza left with two outs in the fifth and Tampa Bay leading 4-2. Jeff Niemann entered and surrendered consecutive two-run doubles to Kevin Millar and Jason Lane.
Niemann also got the first out of the sixth before he was replaced by Calvin Medlock. Niemann was charged with nine runs and seven hits, hurting his chance to win the No. 5 spot in Tampa Bay's rotation.
"It's definitely disappointing to have your worst outing and probably your most important outing at the same time," Niemann said.
Jason Hammel is considered the front-runner for the opening in the rotation, and Niemann could make the team as a long reliever. It was his first time this spring entering a game with runners on base.
"No matter what your role is, you still know there's a job you need to do when you come in to pitch in a certain situation," he said. "That's definitely disappointing to not get the job done when I came in.
"I'm not going to sit here and blame it on anything. It's just one of those days where you go out there and I just wasn't able to put the ball where I wanted to out it. Whether that was mental, physical, whatever it is."
Garza was charged with four runs and six hits. He struck out four and walked two.
Manager Joe Maddon said he thought Garza threw the ball well.
"We just took him out based on the number of pitches (74) that he had thrown," Maddon said. "We just couldn't get that last out (in the fifth). All that stuff happened with two outs."
Brad Mills, vying for one of the Blue Jays' final two spots in the rotation, threw 79 pitches and yielded four runs and six hits in five innings.
"He did all right, not bad," manager Cito Gaston said. "It could've been worse but he hung in there and did a good job. He didn't rattle at all out there, kept him composure."
Mills struck out four and walked one, retiring the final six batters he faced.
Notes
Blue Jays RHP Casey Janssen, who sat out last season following shoulder surgery, has a mild muscle strain that will sideline him for three days before he can resume throwing. ... RF Alex Rios and C Rod Barajas were back in Toronto's lineup after playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. ... Toronto returned RHP Rick Bauer to its minor league camp.
