TORONTO -- The Blue Jays own a losing record (3-4) after one week of play, but that’s more representative of a handful of ugly innings than the club’s play as a whole.

Shortstop Bo Bichette has said since Day 1 of Spring Training in February that he expects the Blue Jays not just to surprise some people, but also to compete. Record aside, the club's first two series against the Rays and Nationals only affirmed his beliefs.

“The feeling around the clubhouse is that we outplayed the other team in all but probably one of the games,” Bichette said. “We’re very confident. We definitely had opportunities as an offence to put games away that we didn’t.”

There have been a couple of quiet spots for the bats, but seven games is too small a sample to make any sweeping judgments, good or bad. Bichette has appeared in just four of those games, with a minor left hamstring issue keeping him out of the other three, but his optimism comes from the ways in which the lineup has scored when it’s clicking.

Great lineups have an identity, of course, but they can’t lean on one style of hitting too heavily, as some recent Blue Jays teams have with a boom-or-bust power approach.

“It’s been awesome. Especially in Tampa, we’re known as a team that can hit some homers,” Bichette said, “but in Tampa, I think we might have hit one. But we really battled against probably the best pitching staff in baseball and got a lot of hits, a lot of big hits.”

The Blue Jays are working out again at Nationals Park on Sunday before traveling to Atlanta, where they open their next series on Tuesday after four days off. It’s been tough on pitchers, especially, but hitters will need to work to keep their timing sharp, too.

Some of Bichette’s optimism is rooted in the club’s health to this point, too, and its adherence to MLB protocols while on the road. This is a health and safety matter first and foremost, but Bichette and his teammates know that staying healthy is also a major competitive advantage in 2020.

“I think it’s just the common goal throughout the clubhouse, that we genuinely believe that we can win, beat really good teams and put ourselves in a position to win a championship at the end of the year,” Bichette said. “That’s really all we need to police ourselves.”

Like father, like son
When Dante Bichette was about to be brought on full-time as a Major League coach, he and Bo had a chat. Dante has been with the Blue Jays since Spring Training, and he has earned widespread praise from the hitters for his work on their approach. Knowing it could create a potentially awkward dynamic, both Dante and the front office left the final decision to the 21-year-old.

“Me and my dad talked about it. Honestly, a lot of players told me they really wanted him there and really wanted him in the clubhouse, so I kind of put my own ego aside and let him come,” Bichette said. “It’s been great so far and he’s been awesome with everybody.”

New approach for Yamaguchi
It’s been a tough start for reliever Shun Yamaguchi, whose first two appearances have come in extra innings. He’s allowed six runs (four earned) in one frame with three walks, so after initially letting him settle in with his own routines, pitching coach Pete Walker has been working on a new approach with him.

“He is tireless, and he’s determined to figure this out and make the adjustments he needs to make to get Major League hitters out,” Walker said. “He’s the last one to leave, in the cage throwing at the end of the night. We’ve had to drag him out of there at times.”

Walker added that Yamaguchi pitched two innings of live batting practice yesterday and looked better. Expect to see his next appearance come in a lower-leverage spot, if possible.

Extras
• Trent Thornton and Chase Anderson are throwing a live BP session Sunday. Anderson, who’s working back from a right oblique strain, threw 55 pitches over three innings in his last live BP, so he’s expected to push beyond that today and figures to be activated this week in Atlanta.

• The current plan is to keep Ryan Borucki, Anthony Kay and Thomas Hatch stretched out in multi-inning roles, but all are still viewed as starters long-term.

• Ken Giles (right forearm strain) is back with the club and optimistic he’ll pitch again this season, Walker said. He will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.

• In a pair of minor roster moves Sunday, the Blue Jays announced that left-handed reliever Brian Moran has been claimed off waivers by the Marlins and outfielder Jonathan Davis has been activated from the 10-day IL and optioned to the alternate training site in Rochester, N.Y.