Votto, Blue Jays Clip Tortugas 3-2 on Wednesday

DUNEDIN, Fla—Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto took the field for the Dunedin Blue Jays in a rehab appearance and his new team used a three-run fifth to claim a 3-2 victory over the Daytona Tortugas on Wednesday afternoon at TD Ballpark.

Dunedin (33-32) strung together four of their five hits for the game in the decisive fifth frame as Daytona (31-34) fell in the penultimate game of the first half.

After a pair of scoreless innings, Daytona took the lead against Dunedin starter Jauron Watts-Brown. Yassel Pino led off with a walk, then moved to third on a hit-and-run single by Diego Omana. Johnny Ascanio then stepped in and dropped down a squeeze bunt to score Pino. With two outs, Ricardo Cabrera hit a check-swing liner down the right-field line to score Omana to put the Tortugas up 2-0.

On the other side, Daytona starter Brian Edgington was sharp over the first four innings. The right-hander issued a walk to Votto in the first and a two-out single in the second, but spun a 1-2-3 third, including retiring Votto on a pop-up, then struck out two in a scoreless fourth.

In the fifth, though, Dunedin strung together a rally. Three straight singles opened the inning, with a roller up the middle by Adrian Meza bringing in the first Dunedin run. After a strikeout, an error loaded the bases with one out for Manuel Beltre, who blooped an RBI single just out of the reach of Ascanio that tied the game. A sacrifice fly by Edward Duran followed to put Dunedin in front, 3-2.

Edgington returned for the sixth and walked two, but also recorded two more outs, as he worked 5.2 innings, striking out five and navigating around four walks in the contest. He departed with two on and two outs in the sixth for Alex Johnson, who ended the inning with a strikeout.

Watts-Brown struck out nine over 6.0 innings and handed off the one-run lead to Irv Carter, who allowed a two-out single and stolen base to Malvin Valdez in the seventh and a one-out walk to Ascanio in the eighth, but did not surrender a run in either inning.

Johnson, likewise, spun 1-2-3 seventh and eighth innings, retiring all seven batters faced in a season-high 2.1 innings in which he struck out two and kept Daytona within a run.

In the ninth, the Tortugas made a push against Dunedin’s Kai Peterson, as Cabrera drew a leadoff walk, while Esmith Pineda drew a two-out free pass to put two on with two out, but a strikeout ended the game as Dunedin evened the series.

Daytona will be back in action Thursday evening as they will face Dunedin in game three at 6:30 p.m. at TD Ballpark. LHP Adam Serwinowski (1-1, 2.82) will get the ball for Daytona against Grant Rogers (1-2, 4.53) for Dunedin. Pregame coverage on the Tortugas Radio Network with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, beginning at 6:15 p.m.