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You get out there and you’re seeing hitters for the first time and you get a little anxious. But I put the ball in play, heard a lot of good things from three great hitters


Still, Romero was amped up when he stepped on the mound Monday.

“You’re still trying to find yourself a little bit,” he said. “You get out there and you’re seeing hitters for the first time and you get a little anxious. But I put the ball in play, heard a lot of good things from three great hitters.”

The hitters told him they saw good movement and sink on his pitches. Even the pitch that Encarnacion hammered was in on his fists, Romero said.

After joining the Jays in a trade with the Marlins, Buehrle has become a mentor for Romero, pestering him in a good-natured way about those 105 walks he issued last season. No one in the majors had more.

A 13-year veteran, Buehrle has averaged 46 walks and 215 innings over his past nine seasons. Romero has averaged 86 and 216 innings.

Like Romero, Buehrle is left-handed. The two have hit it off since camp started, and Romero says he looks forward to learning from one of the game’s most consistent starters.

“He’s not a guy that’s going to overpower you but a guy that’s going to go out there and pitch and throw strikes,” Romero said. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with him.”

Romero knows Buehrle will continue to remind him about the importance of consistent pitch location. Already, he has grown accustomed to one of Buehrle’s stock questions: “Did you walk anyone today in the bullpen?”

His elbow feels fine — he does not even think about it when he throws, he said — although he still needs regular treatment for tendinitis in both knees. No one knows whether that will be a long-term issue, but unlike last year, Romero is now open about discussing it and seeking help to try to control it.

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