Blue Jays Bats blast Tampa for fourth straight win

TAMPA, FL – The Blue Jays used a 9-run, 11-hit outburst to blow by Tampa 9-2 on Wednesday night at Steinbrenner Field, marking the fourth consecutive win for Dunedin.

For the second straight game to open the series, the D-Jays struck first, as Yhoangel Aponte belted an opposite-field, solo homer to open the second inning.

Juaron Watts-Brown, the Blue Jays’ No. 18 prospect, started his pro career in strong fashion, hurling three no-hit innings to open the game. The Tarpons got to the righty in the fourth, using a Dylan Jasso sacrifice fly to tie the game at one.

The Jays used a five-run fifth inning to pull ahead for good, highlighted by a go-ahead RBI triple from Nic Deschamps and RBI single from Cade Doughty. Riley Tirotta, on rehab from AA-New Hampshire along with Doughty, scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-1.

Tampa responded in the bottom of the fifth against Watts-Brown, notching a run on a George Lombard Jr RBI knock to trim the lead to 4-2. Watts-Brown finished his debut on a high-note, though, stranding runners on first and second to end the inning.

Dunedin got that run back in the sixth, thanks to an RBI triple from Arjun Nimmala to dead center field. The floodgates opened in the seventh, as the Jays struck for three more runs, using two hits and two Tampa errors to push the lead to 8-2.

In the ninth, Dunedin got some extra cushion thanks to a Manuel Beltre RBI single that drove in Victor Arias.

The Blue Jays bullpen worked four scoreless frames, capped off by two from Keiner Leon to close the contest. Their season ERA as a unit is now 0.33 in 27.2 innings – the best in the league by over a run and a half.

The Blue Jays 4-1 record through five games is tied for the best record in the league with Palm Beach.

The series with the Tarpons continues tomorrow night at 6:30 in Tampa. With a victory, Dunedin would clinch at least a series split. Fans can listen to the Blue Jays’ radio broadcast online at https://www.milb.com/dunedin/fans/radio.