Timely Offense, Steady Pitching Leads Threshers to 6-3 Win Over Blue Jays

BOX SCORE

CLEARWATER, Fl - The Clearwater Threshers snapped their three-game losing skid with a 6-3 victory over the Dunedin Blue Jays on Thursday night at BayCare Ballpark.

Left-hander Jordi Martinez secured his first win of 2022 on the mound for Clearwater, allowing only one run on four hits and striking out five in five impressive innings of work.

The Threshers (24-23) opened the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single by Kendall Simmons. Clearwater added three more in the second on an RBI double by catcher Arturo de Freitas, as well as RBI sac-flies from Albert Jerez and Wilfredo Flores.

Following another RBI sac-fly by Leandro Pineda in the fifth to make it 5-0, the Blue Jays (22-26) added single runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings to trim the lead to 5-3.

Right-handers Carlos Betancourt and Tommy McCollum each worked one inning on the bump for Clearwater, allowing one run each and striking out a combined two hitters.

With the Threshers holding a 5-3 lead in the seventh, Dunedin left fielder Glenn Santiago was injured while attempting to run down a foul ball in the left field corner. After Santiago was attended to, the game entered a lightning delay that lasted over 1.5 hours.

Following the two lengthy delays, the Threshers added an insurance run on an RBI single by Marcus Lee Sang in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-3.

Righty Alex Garbrick entered in the eighth and returned in the ninth for the home team, allowing just one hit and striking out two to secure a two-inning save and preserve the win for the Threshers. The save was Garbrick's second of the season.

Clearwater and Dunedin return to action in game four of the six-game set on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. Right-hander Jean Cabrera (0-2, 5.91 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Threshers. Coverage on the Threshers Broadcasting Network begins at 6:20 p.m.