Jays split doubleheader with Yankees

Tampa, FL - The Dunedin Blue Jays and Tampa Yankees split a doubleheader on Tuesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field, with Dunedin taking Game 1, 8-4, and dropping Game 2, 7-0.

The first game was a continuation of the suspended game in Dunedin on June 30, and was picked up with the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning with the Blue Jays acting as the designated home team.

RHP Jesse Hernandez (W, 5-6) was brilliant, allowing three unearned runs on five hits with no walks and a season-high seven strikeouts (including two of Alex Rodriguez) in 6.2 innings. The FSL All-Star lowered his ERA to 3.09, and handed the ball to LHP Tyler Ybarra (S, 2) who closed out the final four hitters. Ybarra now has a scoreless streak of 28 innings.

Yankees starter Rafael De Paula (L, 0-2) allowed five runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings, including a three-run double to SS Peter Mooney in the third inning. The Jays added two more in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from DH K.C. Hobson and a RBI single from 3B Gustavo Pierre, who knocked in his first run as a Dunedin Blue Jay.

With a 6-4 advantage in the eighth inning, the Jays tacked on two more with consecutive sacrifices flies from Hobson and CF Michael Crouse to take an 8-4 advantage.

In Game 2 -- a scheduled seven inning game -- the Blue Jays were held hitless until the final inning, when LF Marcus Knecht lined a one-out single up the middle. It was Dunedin's lone hit in the second half of the twin bill, after putting together 15 hits in Game 1.

2B Jon Berti scored a season-high four runs in Game 1, and 1B Shane Opitz (filling in defensively for Gabe Jacobo) put together a season-high three hits. Berti, Crouse, Mooney, Pierre, Knecht and RF Nick Baligod also had multi-hit games in the opener.

The Blue Jays and Yankees are back at it tomorrow afternoon for a 12 p.m. start in Tampa.