The Dunedin Blue Jays unbeaten streak at home at Dunedin Stadium came to and end on Thursday night as the team fell 4-2 to the Fort Myers Miracle in the final game of a three-game series. RHP Josh DeGraaf provided the Blue Jays with a quality start on the mound,
The Dunedin Blue Jays unbeaten streak at home at Dunedin Stadium came to and end on Thursday night as the team fell 4-2 to the Fort Myers Miracle in the final game of a three-game series. RHP Josh DeGraaf provided the Blue Jays with a quality start on the mound, but mediocre defense and a lack of offense handed Dunedin their first home loss of the season.
DeGraaf and Miracle starter RHP Tyler Wells traded zeroes through the first five innings. DeGraaf allowed just four hits over that span, three singles and a triple on a routine fly ball that fell in between Dunedin fielders due to miscommunication. DeGraaf picked off one of the base runners that reached, C Alberto Mineo picked off another, and DeGraaf used strikeouts to strand the last two.
Despite the strong performance by their starter on the mound, the Dunedin offense was unable to provide any support for DeGraaf, being held hitless until LF Eduard Pinto knocked a single with two outs in the fifth inning.
In the sixth, Fort Myers finally got to DeGraaf when Jimmy Kerrigan launched a two-out solo home run, putting the Miracle up 1-0.
Lewin Diaz led off the seventh inning with the Miracle's second triple due to poor fielding by Dunedin, hitting a fly ball to centerfield that was misjudged and then eluded the glove of Joshua Palacios. DeGraaf retired the next hitter, but was then replaced on the mound by LHP Jake Fishman. Fishman retired the first hitter he faced but then allowed a two-out home run to Joe Cronin, stretching the Miracle lead to 3-0.
The Blue Jays found their way onto the scoreboard in the seventh inning thanks to heads-up base running by 1B Nash Knight. Knight walked to lead off the inning. With one out, Mineo hit a slow roller down the third baseline. Miracle 3B Travis Blankenhorn made an impressive defensive play to reach the swinging bunt and throw out Mineo at first, but Knight, seeing the play pull the third baseman away from the bag, rounded second and headed for third. Miracle 1B Lewin Diaz attempted to throw out Knight at third, but no one was covering the bag, and his errant throw skipped into foul territory, allowing Knight to score.
The Jays used small ball tactics in the eighth to put a second run on the scoreboard. Pinto led off the inning with a single to left, his second hit of the game and just Dunedin's third. RF Rodrigo Orozco followed by working a walk. 2B Yeltsin Gudino dropped down a sacrifice bunt, moving both runners over, and Palacios plated Pinto with an RBI ground out. With the tying run on third, SS Logan Warmoth popped out to the second baseman, ending the inning.
The Miracle added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, using a two-out single by Blankenhorn, a stolen base, and a double off the bat off Cronin to increase their lead to 4-2. Reliever Carlos Suniaga retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, earning the save and preserving the win for Fort Myers.
DeGraaf took the hard-luck loss for Dunedin despite his quality start. He finished the night with 6.1 innings pitched, 6 hits and two runs allowed, and six strikeouts. It was his second loss of the year in a game where he allowed just two runs.
The loss drops Dunedin below the .500 mark (6-7). They will remain at home this weekend, playing a three-game set against the Daytona Tortugas. RHP Justin Dillon is scheduled to start on the mound for Dunedin in the first game of the series tomorrow night at 6:30 PM. At tomorrow evening's game, the first 500 fans through the gates will receive an exclusive 2017 Florida State League Championship T-shirt and one lucky fan will win a raffle to take home an authentic 2017 Championship Ring.
