Jays jolt Miracle
Manny Rodriguez launched a grand slam to right field in the sixth inning, sending the Dunedin Blue Jays past the Fort Myers Miracle 6-2 Sunday at Hammond Stadium.
Miracle pitcher Dakota Watts, who was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 2009 MLB Draft, struggled in his debut.
After serving as the Gulf Coast League Twins’ closer and allowing no earned runs in more than nine innings, Watts was moved to the Miracle before Sunday’s game after Mike McCardell’s promotion to Double-A New Britain.
Watts was working his second inning in the sixth and quickly recorded the first two outs.
Dunedin’s C.J. Ebarb and Brad McElroy reached on back-to-back singles. Another single by John Tolisano brought in Ebarb to tie the game, 2-2. Moises Sierra drew a free pass and the bases were loaded.
Rodriguez connected for a grand slam on the first pitch from Spencer Steedley.
The Miracle struggled with runners on base, stranding eight. They left nine on base in a loss Saturday. Ben Revere, Rene Leveret, and Nick Romero collected multi-hit games for the Miracle (10-13).
Steve Hirschfeld gets the start for the Miracle Monday for the third game of the series. First pitch is 7:05 p.m.