Dunedin Pitching Falters Late, Threshers Win 8-3

Dunedin, FL – The Blue Jays held a 2-1 lead over the Clearwater Threshers in Saturday night’s contest, but Blue Jays pitching couldn’t hold up in the latter stagers of the game.

Clearwater got out to a 1-0 lead in the first after Otto Kemp hit a solo home run off minor league-rehabber CJ Van Eyk, Kemp’s third consecutive game with a home run, but Van Eyk brushed it off and pitched well. The 24-year-old out of Florida State, making his way back after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021, showed exactly what the organization hoped he might, going four innings, only allowing the one run while striking out seven.

Van Eyk was brilliant, dicing up Threshers hitters, generating twelve total swings and misses, with the home run being his only mistake of the night. Meanwhile, the Dunedin lineup made some noise of their own. Peyton Williams mashed his third homer of the year to tie the game in the second, the ball coming off the bat at 107.7 MPH. Later in the fourth inning, Tucker Toman joined the party, hitting his first professional home run and putting Dunedin up 2-1.

After Van Eyk was lifted from the game, RHP Ryan Jennings entered and started off as excellent as you can. Jennings struck out five and was perfect through his first two innings but started to struggle with his command in the seventh. An infield single and a double tied the game, and with two outs Jennings walked three consecutive batters before Threshers 3B Freylin Minyety singled in two to make it 5-2. Jennings was able to get out of the inning, but the Blue Jays’ lead was gone.

LHP Harry Rutkowski took over the pitching duties for the eighth, but he struggled with command as well, giving up two hits and walking another three. Clearwater tacked on another three in the inning to make it 8-2, and the Blue Jays couldn’t come back. Dunedin scored a run in the ninth, but Clearwater held on for the 9-3 win.

Clearwater moved to 24-8 on the year with the win, and Dunedin fell to 17-15. The Threshers clinched at least a split of the series, giving themselves a chance at their fourth consecutive series win on Sunday, with the wrap-up game scheduled at high noon. As always, the game will be available live on the Dunedin Blue Jays Radio Network, with coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m.