Patterson fuels Jays' win

Patterson followed Aaron Mathews' leadoff single in the first inning with a two-run homer, sparking a prodigious day for the Blue Jays' 1-2 punch.

Patterson had an RBI double in the second, belted a three-run homer in the fifth, smacked a two-run shot in the seventh and doubled in a run in the eighth.

"It was unbelievable," said Patterson, who boosted his average to .323. "I was seeing the ball well and had a better approach. I was staying through the middle of the field and got good pitches to hit."

Mathews went 6-for-7 with six singles and Patterson drove him home four times as Dunedin (17-14) won its third straight game.

"I was telling him that if I got on, he was going to have to drive me in because those are our roles in this lineup," Mathews said. "He definitely came through."

Mathews had a chance for a seventh hit in the ninth, but infielder Jimmy Rohan, pitching in emergency relief, got him to ground into a double play.

"I never had a game this good in high school or while playing at Oregon State," said Matthews, who lifted his average to .315. "I have been working on keeping my front foot down, on getting my timing down. I felt really comfortable up there tonight."

Mathews and Patterson weren't the only Blue Jays contributing to the 21-hit attack. Robinzon Diaz hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs and Eric Nielsen added two RBIs.

Daniel Core (1-0) gave up two runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief to pick up the win.

Vero Beach starter Zachary Hammes (2-1) surrendered five runs on seven hits while striking out three in three innings.

David Nicholson went 2-for-6 for Vero Beach, extending his hitting streak to 15 games.

Chris Westervelt hit the Dodgers' only homer in the sixth as Vero Beach collected 16 hits en route to its third straight loss. --Christopher Heine/MLB.com