BRADENTON, Fla. -- After opening Spring Training by going an uncharacteristic 1-for-14 (.071), Bo Bichette got back to business on Sunday afternoon, launching a two-run, opposite-field home run at LECOM Park in the third inning.

Add that to a solo shot in the sixth from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that looked like it was still rising as it hit the netting beyond left field, and the Blue Jays’ young hitters have plenty of positives to take away from Toronto’s 13-9 loss to the Pirates. For Bichette, this wasn’t about tinkering and finding his swing, but instead simply waiting on the results.

“I think the swing is always there,” Bichette said after the game. “I work for months before I get here on my swing, so the swing is always there, it’s just about getting trust back in the box and getting comfortable.”

Bichette feels that he’s been hitting the ball hard, and besides, a handful of at-bats in February don’t mean much. It’s still a process, though, and for someone as confident in their swing as Bichette is, that process has a lot to do with basic reps and building trust.

“A lot of the trust comes with what happens,” Bichette said. “The more breaking balls I’m going to lay off of and see out of the zone, the more comfortable I’m going to be in the box. The more fastballs I hit hard, the more comfortable and confident I’m going to be that I can hit that fastball.”

Bichette is coming off a brilliant debut in 2019, when he hit .311 with a .930 OPS over 46 games for the Blue Jays. Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo likes to joke that Cal Ripken Jr.’s ironman streak is safe, but that he’ll still have Bichette out there almost every single game in 2020.

Anderson still adjusting
Chase Anderson’s second Grapefruit League start of 2020 was a tough one. The veteran right-hander allowed four runs on three hits and three walks, recording just two outs. Part of the adjustment is working with a new catcher and establishing rapport.

“A lot of communication between innings, between starts, because you want the catcher to feel comfortable when they’ve never caught you before,” Anderson said. “Reese [McGuire] is going to be a big part of our team, so I want to make sure we’re on the same page going forward. This is a good starting point.”

There’s also a physical or visual in-game adjustment, Anderson said, to how a catcher sets up behind the plate, including his positioning relative to the plate, how he presents the target and where his glove is positioned for a curveball.

Ryu’s next steps
Hyun-Jin Ryu will pitch a simulated game on Wednesday in Dunedin instead of going on the road to make a game appearance. His next Grapefruit League start will come on March 9.

“He wants to work on different stuff, so that’s why we want to set it up like that,” Montoyo said. “He feels like he wants to work on his pitches and do a simulated game. He felt like he needed that.”

Extras
• Montoyo said that Tanner Roark won’t start until “next week,” but he has been throwing regularly. He’s expected to be ready for Opening Day after a slow start to camp due to the flu.

• The Pirates used a four-man outfield against Cavan Biggio on Sunday, which is worth monitoring in 2020. The Rays used it several times against the Blue Jays in 2019, mostly for Justin Smoak.

Up next
Matt Shoemaker is scheduled to make his first start of the spring on Monday when the Blue Jays return home to TD Ballpark to face the Pirates again at 1:07 p.m. ET. Shoemaker missed most of last season with a torn ACL and the Blue Jays were cautious with him earlier in camp, but the right-hander is expected to be fully ready for the season.