Gose, Bisons beat Red Wings in opener

Just because his current team played the first and only day game on Opening Day in the Minors Leagues doesn't mean Anthony Gose is going to rush home to watch his next team play their night game.

"I'm not going to even bother keeping track," Gose said bluntly. "Toronto is in a whole other country. We are here in Buffalo trying to win."

The Blue Jays farmhand collected three hits and scored three runs as his Bisons out-slugged the visiting Rochester Red Wings, 12-7, on Thursday afternoon in the first game of the 2013 season.

Gose, who played in 56 Major League games last season, batted second and played center field in a veteran-laden lineup that scored at least one run in five of their first six innings and every frame but the third and seventh. This was the club's first game since switching affiliations to the Jays and away from the Mets, who are now contracted with the Las Vegas 51s.

Because of Toronto's active offseason, specifically the addition of left fielder Melky Cabrera and the presence of Colby Rasmus, Gose's stint in big league camp of Spring Training was short-lived but worthwhile.

"I learned a lot," he said. "The main thing is doing whatever it takes to win. [The Jays] want to win there, they want to win here, they want to win throughout the Minor Leagues. To do that, I'm refining my game, keeping it simple as possible, staying consistent."

No longer a prospect but still just 22, Gose spent the entirety of the 2012 campaign at Las Vegas, where he posted a .286/.366/.419 slash line while stealing 34 bases and playing his usual brand of outsanding defense. He appears headed for a similar level of production in '13.

Gose doubled in the first inning, cutting down his swing on an 0-2 pitch, and singled home a run in the second against Red Wings starter P.J. Walters. He also singled in the sixth and was hit by a pitch in the eighth to complete his 3-for-4 day at the plate.

Five other Bisons recorded multi-hit games, including veteran slugger Luis Jimenez, who hit a two-run home run in the fifth.

Red Wings right fielder Oswaldo Arcia, the Twins' fifth-ranked prospect, enjoyed success in his Triple-A debut. The 21-year-old native of Venezuela homered, doubled and plated three runs in four at-bats.

"The guy swings the bat well and plays a great right field," Gose said of Arcia, who also collected two assists with throws to second base. "Everything I heard about him [was true]. He's an impressive ballplayer."

Walters (0-1) was charged with five runs on nine hits over four innings.

Buffalo counterpart Justin Germano (1-0) yielded five runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 frames.