Blue Jays MiLB Recap – Smith stays hot; Dunedin sweeps doubleheader

Syracuse Chiefs (62-76) @ Buffalo Bisons (67-71) – 7-1 L

The Bisons got dominated on both sides of the ball last night, getting out-hit 15-4, as they didn’t give themselves a chance to win this one. Todd Redmond started for the Bisons, giving up 10 hits, three of which were home runs, and allowing 5 ER in 6.1 innings.

Bobby Korecky came in relief of Redmond, but didn’t fare much better. He went 1.2 IP, giving up 4 base hits and allowing 2 more earned runs.

Chad Girodo, who was selected to the play in the upcoming Arizona Fall League yesterday, also pitched in this one. It was his first appearance in AAA, and he managed to throw a scoreless inning. His numbers across three levels this year are tremendous: 57.1 IP, 0.94 ERA, 44 H, 1 HR, 9 BB, 55 K.

Portland Sea Dogs (50-86) @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats (65-68) – 5-3 W

Austin Bibens-Dirkx threw a quality start for the Fisher Cats, leading them to their 65th victory Tuesday night. He went 7 IP, while giving up 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB and striking out 1. Cory Burns notched the save by throwing two clean innings to finish this one off.

After a rough start, Dwight Smith Jr. continues to turn his season around. He went 2/4 with a 2B in this one, putting up his 7th multi-hit game in his last 10 games. Over those 10 games, he’s gone 15/40 (.375) with 1 HR, and a 6:1 BB:K ratio. His recent run has raised his slash line to a decent .266/.336/.381/.717 (109 wRC+), much better than the .258/.319/.356/.675 (96 wRC+) he had two weeks ago.

K.C. Hobson and Derrick Chung also added multi-hit efforts last night. Chung, who has missed the majority of the year, has returned to the Fisher Cats and has put up solid numbers. In 20 games in AA, he’s hit .283/.378/.383/.762, with a very strong 10:6 BB:K ratio. However, he is doing at the age of 27-years-old, much older than many of his competitors.

Game #1: Tampa Yankees (65-68) @ Dunedin Blue Jays (59-73) – 2-0 W

Game #2: Tampa Yankees (65-69) @ Dunedin Blue Jays (60-73) – 3-1 W

Dunedin swept the double-header with the Tampa Yankees yesterday on the backs of two great pitching performances. In game one, Shane Dawson took to the hill, throwing a 7-innings complete game shutout. In those 7 IP, he only surrendered 1 base hit and walked nobody, while striking out 4. The phenomenal start from Dawson brought his Dunedin ERA to 3.12 in 26 IP with a 22:8 K:BB ratio.

Jeremy Gabryszwski started the second game for the Blue Jays, and delivered another solid start in the 7-inning game. He went 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K and notched his 9th win of the season.

Due to the low scoring affairs, there weren’t many notable hitting performances. In game 1, Jorge Saez  hit a two run home run, scoring the only two runs the Blue Jays needed. Anthony Alford also continued his fabulous season, going 1/2 with another walk.

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Over his last ten games, he’s hit .361 with a HR, 4 SB, and 9 BB’s. He’s an elite talent, and his season long numbers between Lansing and Dunedin are fantastic: .297/.400/.416/.816 with wRC+ marks of 143 and 151 in Lansing and Dunedin respectively. He hasn’t missed a beat since receiving the promotion, and he’s improved in a number of areas. With a minimum of 200 PA’s, there are only 3 players in the Florida State League, and 6 players in all of high-A baseball with a wRC+ above 150. Alford is one of them, and he’s the second youngest player of the group. Impressive stuff.

Alford wasn’t chosen to compete in the Arizona Fall League, but that was most likely because the Jays would like to get him some rest after his first full season and his time in the Australian Baseball League.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (74-58) @ Lansing Lugnuts (71-62) – 6-4 L

It’s hard to focus on what happened in Lansing last night, because tonight is the real deal. Marcus Stroman is back on the mound! Exciting stuff.

Jason Leblebijian led the Lugnut offence yesterday, going 2/3 with a 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB. Josh Almonte also had a multi-hit affair, and D.J Davis didn’t register a hit, but got on board via the walk twice yesterday.

Chase Mallard and Tim Mayza pitched for the Lugnuts, combining for 11 K’s in 9 IP, but failed to limit damage, giving up the 6 ER.

Next: Blue Jays, Baseball, and the Elusive Hustle

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