Buffo, Blue Jays Win Seventh Straight
If Maverik Buffo had any nerves as he took the mound for his Florida State League debut on Monday night at Dunedin Stadium, they didn't show. The young righty turned in his longest and finest outing as a professional, throwing 8.0 shutout innings against the Clearwater Threshers, allowing just three
If
"Honestly, everything worked tonight," Buffo said after the game. "I had my slider. I had my changeup. I had my four-seam and my two-seam fastball. It's nice to have everything, obviously. Great group of guys here, I've played with some earlier this year and last year, and that's nice. It helps you calm down and get comfortable."
Buffo wasted no time getting comfortable, setting down the Threshers in order in the first inning, recording his first Florida State League strikeout for the final out of the inning. In the home half of the first, 2B
"The mental preparation I had for today was awesome. I didn't want to make it any bigger than it is. Obviously, it's an honor to be promoted to a higher level, but I wanted to stay with my same game plan, the same reasons that got me here. I wanted to be aggressive and take it to them."
Take it to them, he did. The Threshers put two runners on in the second on a single and a walk, but Buffo used two strikeouts and a ground out to end the inning. He allowed just two additional base runners the rest of the game, setting down Clearwater in order in five of his eight innings.
On the offensive end, the Blue Jays put up a crooked number in the third to back their starter. 3B
With the bases loaded, C
With a 7-0 lead, Buffo cruised through eight before handing the ball off to LHP
"Tonight was awesome," Buffo said in closure after the win. "It's a great feeling to have a debut like that here."
The win was Dunedin's seventh straight, extending their longest winning streak of the season. As a team, the Jays had 12 hits, improving their league-best team batting average in the month of July to .299. Smith, Adams, Lundquist, Castillo, and Orozco each had multiple hits. With a 2-4 day today, Castillo now has two hits in eight of his last 10 games.
The win improves Dunedin's second half record to 12-6 and brings their full season record even at 43-43. The Threshers are now 10-7 with the loss in the second half and one game under .500 (42-43) on the season. The two teams will continue their four-game set at Dunedin Stadium tomorrow evening at 6:30 PM with RHP