Jays' Dawson spins one-hit shutout

Shane Dawson was only getting stronger as the sun went down on Tuesday.

"I felt really good in the last inning, maybe the best I felt the entire game," he said. "I located every single pitch that I threw."

Dawson never eased off the gas in pitching a seven-inning one-hitter for his first career complete game as Dunedin blanked Tampa, 2-0, in the first game of a doubleheader at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.

Dawson (3-2) struck out four and did not walk a batter in his fifth start since being promoted from Class A Lansing, where he was a Midwest League All-Star and 12-game winner. The Blue Jays' 30th-ranked prospect allowed only three fly balls, with Miguel Andujar lining a single up the middle leading off the second for the Yankees' lone hit.

"It was a 3-2 fastball, [he hit a] chopper through the 5-6 hole," Dawson said. "Not really hard hit, if I do say so myself."

Dawson's only other issue came in the fifth when Ericson Leonora reached on third baseman Matt Dean's error and Michael O'Neill hit into a fielder's choice. The 21-year-old southpaw struck out Chris Gittens and retired Angelo Gumbs on a popup to escape trouble before working 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh. He struck out the last two batters he faced to finish off his 15th overall victory this year.

"I felt relaxed," Dawson said. "I had command of four pitches for most of the game, and it showed. They hit the mistakes they were supposed to, but it was always right at somebody."

Dunedin scored the game's only runs in the fifth when Dickie Joe Thon hit a one-out double to left and Jorge Saez followed with his second homer of the season.

Dawson said he worked his slider off his fastball early in the game but felt comfortable using all four of his offerings.

"Fastball, curveball, slider, change. At first, my fastball-slider combo got me through the first couple innings. But as the game went on, it became fastball-curveball, with changeups in the mix," he said.

The Alberta native fanned Andujar and Ericson Leonora to wrap it up and said it felt good to record his first complete game.

"I felt that it was my game to win and it's always nice to be able to finish what you start," he said. "The defense was great. The infielders were diving and making plays for me."

Dawson, who notably does not have a left infraspinatus (the muscle right below the rotator cuff), went 12-4 with a 3.04 ERA and 96 strikeouts over 100 2/3 innings at Lansing to earn a promotion to the Florida State League on Aug. 1. He was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week on July 27.

He said it's been a seamless move to Florida and facing more advanced hitters.

"No transition, really," he said. "I just feel as guys figure out what their game is, whichever level you're at, [it] doesn't really matter, as long as you execute your game plan."