Sparks Fly In 3-1 Home Loss

After scoring five or more runs in five consecutive games, the Blue Jays offense was only able to record five total hits in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Yankees on Wednesday night. Yankees starter Ian Clarkin held the Jays to just their one run in 5.1 innings of work on four hits, and the Yankees bullpen combined to throw 3.2 innings of one-hit ball to close out the game.
The Blue Jays fell behind 1-0 early when RF Jhalan Jackson and 3B Mandy Alvarez hit back-to-back doubles in the second inning. The Jays tied the score in the fifth on a CF Lane Thomas groundout to third base that scored C Max Pentecost who had reached on a double and advanced to third on a single by DH Juan Kelly .
Blue Jays starter Conor Fisk turned in a quality start for the team in a losing effort, allowing three runs on seven hits over six complete innings. RHP Josh DeGraaf , RHP Adonys Cardona , and RHP Tom Robson combined to throw three scoreless innings in relief of Fisk.
Emotions ran high late in the game. After Kelly was called out on an automatic strike for a game-clock violation in the eighth inning, Blue Jays manager John Schneider was ejected from the game following a heated exchange with the umpiring crew at the end of the inning. 
Pentecost, who played all nine innings behind the plate at catcher, was the only Blue Jay with multiple hits, finishing 2-4 with a double and run scored. RF Andrew Guillotte , 2B Cavan Biggio , and Kelly had the other three hits for the Jays, all singles.
The Blue Jays (15-12) and Yankees (11-16) will finish their four-game series at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium tomorrow. RHP Jordan Romano  will take the ball for the Jays with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30 PM.