Jays Drop Series Finale 5-1 To Daytona

After last night's thrilling extra hours walk-off win, the Dunedin Blue Jays dropped their series finale with the Daytona Tortugas at home on Sunday afternoon by a 5-1 score. 
The game featured a marquee pitching matchup with the #4 pitching prospect in the Toronto organization T.J. Zeuch squaring off with the #3 pitching prospect in the Reds organization, Tony Santillan. The heavyweight matchup on the mound did not disappoint in the early innings with the two pitchers combining to allow just three hits through the first three innings.
Daytona broke through in the fourth inning. Taylor Trammell, the #3 overall prospect in the Cincinnati system doubled to right with one out. The next batter, Mitch Nay, hit what usually would have been a routine ground ball to second, but 2B Yeltsin Gudino was away from his position holding Trammell at second. The grounder trickled into shallow right field while Trammell rounded third and scored. Nay didn't hesitate coming around first, stretching the ground ball into a hustle double. Zeuch used a strike out and a pair of ground outs to strand Nay at second.
After a scoreless fifth, the Tortugas scored again in the sixth inning. Zeuch walked Trammell leading off the inning and induced a fielder's choice ground ball off the bat of Nay. A fly ball put two outs on the board, but nearing 100 pitches, Zeuch began to struggle with his control. He walked the next two hitters to load the bases. Brantley Bell then dropped a bloop single over the outstretched glove of Gudino at second, scoring a pair.
With two runners still on, the Blue Jays went to RHP Jonathan Cheshire out of the bullpen to make his Florida State League debut. The first two batters he faced singled, driving in the runners inherited from Zeuch and stretching the Daytona lead to 5-0. After the two hits, Cheshire settled down and threw 1.2 shutout innings, striking out a pair.
Dunedin scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth when RF Joshua Palacios launched a home run to lead off the inning. 
After the sixth, both bullpens put up zeroes for three innings. LHP Juliandry Higuera followed Cheshire with 1.2 scoreless innings of his own.
Offensively, the Jays had eight hits. Their only extra base hit was Palacios' home run. 
The loss drops Dunedin's record to 7-9, 4.5 games behind Daytona (12-5) in the North Division. The team will head to Lakeland tomorrow to take on the Flying Tigers (6-11) at 6:30 PM. LHP Angel Perdomo will make his season debut, returning from an elbow injury that sidelined him from July until the end of the 2017 season.