Early Offensive Outburst Leads Jays Past Miracle

The Blue Jays ended a disappointing seven day road trip on an upswing on Sunday afternoon at Historic Dodgertown, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead over the St. Lucie Mets. Rehabbing outfielder Dalton Pompey continued his strong performance with Dunedin, knocking a single and stealing a base in the first and then launching a two-run home run in the fourth.
Unfortunately, none of it counted in the stat book (yet), as persistent rain forced the postponement of the game in the fourth inning.
Fortunately for the Blue Jays, Pompey picked up where he left off on Tuesday evening at Dunedin Stadium, helping lead the Blue Jays to a 5-2 win over the Fort Myers Miracle. 
Fellow rehabbing outfielder Anthony Alford led off the home half of the first with a single to left. A batter later, Pompey sent a double deep to centerfield, scoring Alford and giving Dunedin a 1-0 lead. A single by C Riley Adams brought home Pompey, and a double by 3B Nash Knight after SS Logan Warmoth was hit by a pitch plated two more, giving Dunedin a 4-0 lead after one.
"I feel great," Pompey said after the game. "I feel like I'm really starting to get my timing back which is really nice. I'm glad the last couple games we've been playing better as a team too, and that obviously helps my game out a lot."
Handed an early 4-0 lead, Dunedin starting pitcher T.J. Zeuch turned in the most impressive start by a member of the Dunedin staff so far this season. Over 6.0 shutout innings, Zeuch allowed just five hits while striking out eight Miracle batters, a new career high for the towering righty and the most by a Dunedin pitcher in 2018.
"He was attacking the hitters," Pompey said of Zeuch's performance on the mound. "He wasn't scared. He was keeping the ball down for the most part and was keeping them on their toes. He made it easy on us by working quick and had great tempo. A great game by him."
The Miracle rallied in the seventh, stringing together a pair of doubles and an RBI groundout to cut the Dunedin lead to 5-2 off RHP William Ouellette. The two runs allowed were the first given up by Ouellette this year. The Miracle threatened again in the eighth, putting two runners on with two outs against LHP Travis Bergen, but RHP Jackson McClelland entered and induced a ground ball to record the third out. In the ninth, McClelland set the side down in order, striking out a pair of batters to earn his second save of the season.
Alford and Knight each had two hits (including a double apiece) for Dunedin and RF Joshua Palacios and Pompey also doubled in the game. 
The win improves the Blue Jays to 3-0 at home on the season and 5-6 overall. The loss draws the Miracle's record even at 6-6. The two teams will continue their three-game set at Dunedin Stadium tomorrow evening at 6:30 PM with RHP Patrick Murphy on the mound for the Blue Jays squaring off against LHP Anthony Marzi for Fort Myers.
Note: The Blue Jays postponed game against the St. Lucie Mets on Sunday at Historic Dodgertown will be finished on June 18th at Dunedin Stadium as part of a doubleheader. It will be continued from the point of postponement with Dunedin leading 6-0 in the fourth inning. The game will begin at 5:00 PM and be followed by the Jays regularly scheduled game against the Mets that evening beginning 30 minutes after the conclusion of the makeup game.