Good advice spurs Dunedin's Romano

Sometimes a little advice from a seasoned veteran can make all the difference. Just ask Jordan Romano, who admitted as much following his outing on Saturday night.
The Blue Jays' No. 22 prospect allowed one run on one hit -- both in the top of the first -- and matched his season high with nine strikeouts over seven innings as Class A Advanced Dunedin shut down Bradenton, 3-1, at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.

Gameday box score
Romano (3-1) plunked Logan Ratledge with his fifth pitch of the game and surrendered a single to Pirates No. 4 prospectKe'Bryan Hayes before back-to-back groundouts produced the Marauders' lone run. The right-hander retired 18 consecutive batters and 21 of the last 22 he faced en route to his first win since April 29.
Romano was quick to point out just who helped keep him from careening off-track in the first inning. 
"It didn't start off too well after hitting [Ratledge] and then allowing the single," he said. "But Gregorio Petit, who's rehabbing with us down here [from Triple-A Buffalo], came to the mound and told me, '[The fielders] are out here for a reason, so make sure to use us.' It helped me to reset and I was able to get into a groove."
The Oral Roberts product did not allow another baserunner until he plunked Pirates No. 6 prospect Will Craig leading off the seventh. Romano quickly set down the next three batters to complete his outing after 102 pitches.
"Tonight was the first time I was matched up with my catcher [Michael De La Cruz]," the 24-year-old said. "But we were on the same page right from the start. Anything he was putting down I was good with and I was able to execute from there."
The 2014 10th-round pick has had little trouble shutting down opponents this season. He's given up two runs or fewer in 11 of 13 appearances, including 11 starts. His 2.18 ERA ranks sixth in the Florida State League and his 72 strikeouts are second behind Jupiter's Trevor Richards.
"When I'm at my best, I'm attacking hitters. I've been able to do a fairly good job of that the entire year, although I always think that I can do better," Romano said. "But tonight I was able to control both sides of the plate. [Bradenton] had a lot of righties, so I went inside with my fastball and used the slider away. Because I was able to pound the ball in on them, they weren't able to cover both sides of the plate. The guys played great behind me when I needed it and everything just clicked tonight." 
Romano also has found another strong personal inspiration, and it has to do with the organization he represents.
"Being able to pitch for Toronto is really a great motivator for me," the Ontario native said. "I grew up watching the Blue Jays. I went to a lot of their games and was a huge fan from the time I was a little kid. Just getting drafted by them was awesome and being able to play for the team you grew up rooting for and watching ... yeah, it keeps me going a little bit." 

Blue Jays No. 23 prospect Juan Kelly tied the game with an RBI double in the sixth, then scored the go-ahead run on a base hit by No. 24 prospect Bradley Jones. Kelly finished with two hits and added an RBI groundout in the eighth.
Daniel Young and Kender Villegas allowed one hit and struck out two in two scoreless innings to close out the win.
Pirates No. 27 prospect Dario Agrazal (5-3) was charged with two runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in six innings for the Marauders.