Blue Jays win 7 of 8, Graveman gets 1st W

PALM BEACH, FL - The FSL's hottest team has taken the show on the road.

With a 4-2 victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals (16-21) at Roger Dean Stadium on Monday night, the Blue Jays (27-9) won their seventh game in eight tries, and RHP Kendall Graveman (W, 1-1) earned his first Florida State League win.

Graveman allowed two runs on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 5.0 innings. He has surrendered just two earned runs in each of his first three starts as a Dunedin Blue Jay.

Dunedin took the lead in the first inning and never looked back. LF Dwight Smith, Jr. started with a single to left and scored on an RBI double from RF Matt Newman. Two batters later, SS Emilio Guerrero plated another run with a ground ball through the right side.

The Cardinals answered back with a run-scoring double from Starlin Rodriguez in the bottom of the first to draw within 2-1.

In the fourth inning, 3B Gustavo Pierre hit a line drive single over the shortstop's head, and moved to second with two outs on a sacrifice bunt from 2B Jorge Flores. Smith then chopped a slow grounder to first base, which was fielded by first baseman David Washington. He flipped the ball wildly towards first base - out of the reach of any teammate - and it rolled into foul territory near the Cardinals' dugout. The error allowed Pierre to score Dunedin's third run and increase the lead to 3-1.

Again, the Cardinals answered, plating a run on an RBI single from Casey Rasmus to make it a 3-2 ballgame. CF Dalton Pompey gave the D-Jays enough breathing room in the fifth, launching his third home run of the season off the right field foul pole. The solo homer would be Dunedin's last hit of the night, as both bullpens went to work from there.

LHP Efrain Nieves (H, 6) allowed just two hits in two innings of relief with no walks and three strikeouts, while RHP Will Browning (H, 2) faced the minimum in a hitless eighth. That paved the way for RHP Arik Sikula (S, 11), who retired the side in order including a game-ending strikeout of Cardinals' No. 11 prospect Charlie Tilson (MLB.com).

Palm Beach starter Mike Mayers (L, 2-4) allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Corey Baker held the Blue Jays hitless over two relief innings of relief.

The Blue Jays will send RHP Taylor Cole (3-0, 2.50 ERA) to the mound against RHP Nick Petree (1-0, 1.29 ERA).