Another strong start by Nestor Molina carried the D-Jays to their third straight win over the St. Lucie Mets on Sunday 8-1.
Molina is on a five-inning restriction regardless of the situation. On Sunday, he left the game with less than 70 pitches. He struck out five and allowed five hits and a lone run.
Righthander Scott Gracey was outstanding in relief. He shut out the Mets for three innings.
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D-Jays catcher A.J. Jimenez and outfielder Brad Glenn look to be returning to early-season form. Both have been sidelined periodically with nagging injuries but now look to be healthy and ready for the play-off run. Jimenez was 2 for 4 and Glenn, who has hit the ball hard all series, finally got one to his liking and hammered into the trees in left (No. 19 on the year).
On Deck: The D-Jays complete their four-game homestand with the Mets today (Aug. 1). This will be Mets top prospect Zack Wheeler's first appearance. The 21-year-old from Smyrna, Georgia was involved in the trade that sent New York Mets Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants.
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The D-Jays will return to the road for six games starting Tuesday (Aug. 1) in Melbourne against the Brevard County Manatees.
The D-Jays are in the home stretch of the 2011 season. They will face only division rivals in all remaining games after Monday. Winning the past three in a row puts the Jays in the No. 2 spot, just two games behind the Tampa Yankees.
Notes:
- Former 2011 D-Jay pitchers Chad Jenkins and Henderson Alvarez were winners in the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats doubleheader on Saturday. Jenkins recorded his third victory, while Alvarez allowed only two runs to pick up his seventh win of the season.
- Justin Jackson, another 2011 D-Jay, improved his batting average .220 with an RBI double.
