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Toronto Blue Jays starting Kyle Drabek throws a pitch while playing against the Seattle Mariners during third inning AL action in Toronto on Wednesday, September 22, 2010.Nathan Denette

If the Toronto Blue Jays had it all to do over again, Kyle Drabek should have been playing for the Major League team in July rather than in September in the viewpoint of manager Cito Gaston.

The 23-year-old pitcher made just his second start of his fledging big league career - and his first before a home town crowd - Wednesday night at Rogers Centre against the Seattle Mariners.

And, well, Drabek pitched like it was just his second career start, displaying both promise along with expected rookie jitters as the Mariners set down the Blue Jays 6-3 before an announced crowd of 19,194.

Drabek lasted five innings, allowing three of the Seattle runs off four hits - two of them home runs by Michael Saunders and Jose Lopez - to see his record fall to 0-2.

In his Major League debut last week in Baltimore against the Orioles, Drabek was strafed for nine hits over six innings but did not surrender a homer in a 3-1 loss.

Asked to rate the two performances, Gaston said there really wasn't that much difference - not bad but not great.

"I think tonight he got a little frustrated," Gaston said. "He got frustrated when he didn't make the pitch he wanted to make.

"He has to go back and realize that's going to happen if he pitches up here long enough. Just go back and start pitching again."

Drabek, the key acquisition in the trade that made Roy Halladay a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, was allowed to progress steadily though Double-A this season in New Hampshire under the game plan devised by general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

He was selected Eastern League pitcher of the year after recording a 14-9 record with a 2.94 ERA in 27 starts.

With some of the Toronto starters beginning to tire over the final few weeks of the regular season, the decision was made to promote Drabek to the big league roster in September after the Double-A season had concluded.

Gaston now wishes his arrival would have been sooner.

"You know something, I wish we brought him up here a long time ago," Gaston said. "I think if we had brought him up probably after the All-Star break and let him pitch up here he would even have a little more head start on what he can do next year."

Gaston was asked if he thought by keeping Drabek in Double-A all season long was a missed opportunity for the Blue Jays.

"He's going to pitch up here one way or another," Gaston said. "I don't look at it as a missed opportunity. I think it was something that happened. It's nothing you can go back and do anything about."

Gaston said maybe Anthopoulos and Tony LeCava, Toronto's assistant general manager, disagree with his feeling.

"They might think differently," Gaston said. "They're the guys, they're the boss here. That's up to them.

"But looking back at it, it certainly would have helped him [Drabek]to get into next year a little bit easier."

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