Tortugas blanked in series opener, fall 2-0 to Mets

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona Tortugas were shut out for the first time this season despite a strong effort on the mound, falling 2-0 to the St. Lucie Mets on Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

The Rundown

St. Lucie broke through early and made it stand. In the second inning, AJ Salgado led off with a solo home run to left-center, putting the Mets in front 1-0.

Daytona had an early opportunity in the third.

Anthuan Valencia and Ichiro Cano opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and a sacrifice bunt by Bernard Moon moved both into scoring position with one out. However, St. Lucie starter José Chirinos worked out of the jam, retiring the next two hitters to keep the Tortugas off the board.

The Mets added insurance in the seventh, after a leadoff walk and a stolen base by Sam Robertson, Elian Peña delivered an RBI single to center to extend the lead to 2-0.

That would be more than enough for the St. Lucie pitching staff.

Chirinos set the tone with five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five. Christian Rodriguez followed with three shutout frames, and Ryan Dollar closed it out in the ninth to secure the win.

Daytona managed just four hits on the night and did not advance a runner past second base after the third inning.

Stat of the Game

0 — Daytona was shut out for the first time this season after scoring 22 runs over its previous two games.

Notes

• Daytona falls to 3-7 on the season.
• The Tortugas were shut out for the first time this year.
• Daytona has scored 22 runs over its last three games despite the loss.
• Mason Morris took the loss, allowing one run on three hits over 4.0 innings with five strikeouts.
• Tristan Smith allowed one run over 3.0 innings with six strikeouts out of the bullpen.
• Brady Afthim tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in relief.

• Afthim has not allowed a run in 5.1 IP this season
• Bernard Moon recorded his fourth hit in his last three games.
• Tyson Lewis extended his on-base streak to five games.
• Daytona pitching recorded 13 or more strikeouts for the fourth time this season.

Next Up

Daytona continues its six-game series with St. Lucie on Wednesday, April 14th at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Tortugas will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Wednesday, at the very place Robinson broke the professional baseball color barrier. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET.