Rain, Rain, Go Away – Tarpons come up short

TAMPA, Fla. – Despite the weather holding off at George S. Steinbrenner Field, the Baseball Gods still rained down on Tampa’s parade Friday night.

After a 40-minute delay for incoming weather, the Tampa Tarpons (4-3) dropped their second straight game to the Dunedin Blue Jays, 6-3. The Jays’ (3-4) supplied plenty of thunder and lightning of their own with top pitching prospect LHP Ricky Tiedemann (2-0) leading the charge. Tiedemann was electric, as he struck out eight Tarpons while allowing just one hit over five total innings.

RHP Tyrone Yulie (0-1) drew the start for the Tarpons, making his second appearance of the season. Yulie, looking to build on his last start, saw his first pitch of the game driven to left field for a base hit by Dasan Brown. Brown stole second and third base before Rainer Nunez singled him home with 2 outs, giving the Jays’ a 1-0 lead.

Yulie found his footing in the second inning, retiring the side in order on two ground balls and a strikeout. He opened the third inning by striking out Amell Brazoban, then surrendered another base hit to Brown. The Jays’ centerfielder swiped second for his third stolen base of the game, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With trouble knocking on door, Yulie responded by striking out Estiven Machado. On an 0-2 count, Nunez grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

The Tarpons’ bats struggled to wake up early, with their first hit coming off the bat of Raimfer Salinas in the bottom of the third.

Yulie’s night unraveled in the top of the fifth. After retiring Angel Del Rosario on a fly ball to left, Brazoban reached on a full-count walk. On an attempted steal, Antonio Gomez quickly erased him off the base path with a throw right on the money to second base. Brown’s busy night continued with a walk, and Machado singled on a line drive to Ryder Green. Damiano Palmegiani provided a much-needed power surge for the Jays’, blasting a 3-run homer deep into the night, increasing the lead to 4-0. After pelting Nunez with an errant pitch, manager Rachel Balkovec had seen enough, pulling Yulie in favor of RHP Carlos Gomez.

Over 4.2IP, Yulie finished the night surrendering four earned runs on five hits and two walks, while sitting down five batters on strikes.

Gomez fared much better and kept the Tarpons in the game by fanning six Jays’ while allowing just one hit over three plus innings. The right-hander looked unstoppable in the sixth, striking out the side in order.

The Tarpons began chipping away at the deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning. Green singled, Salinas reached on a fielding error by Jays’ pitcher Kelvin Perez, and Jasson Dominguez scored Green on a fielder’s choice to cut the lead to 4-1.

After another stellar top frame from Gomez, the Tarpons went back to chipping away. Marcos Cabrera led off the bottom of the eighth with a single, advanced to second base on an overthrow, and later stole third for good measure. Madison Santos would plate Cabrera on an RBI single to second base. With their bats suddenly resurrected, Green slapped his second single of the night, and Salinas added an RBI single of his own to bring the Tarpons within one run.

RHP Enrique Santana was tasked with keeping it close in the ninth for the Tarpons but was unable to tame the Jays in the final frame. Brazoban reached base on a throwing error from Cabrera at third base, and advanced to second. Machado walked, and Palmegiani came to the rescue yet again, supplying an RBI single which scored Brazoban. On a sacrifice fly, Nunez drove in Machado for the Jays’ final run.

The Tarpons went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, and that was all she wrote.

With the series tied at two-a-piece, the Tarpons will look to take the series lead as they square off with the Blue Jays on Saturday for game five of their six game set.