Rally in 7th lifts Miracle over Jays 7-6

By Dave Devereux
Cape Coral Daily Breeze

Alexander Smit is an emerging left-hander in the Minnesota Twins’ organization.

He’s one of several touted pitching prospects Fort Myers Miracle pitching coach Eric Rasmussen has to work with this season.

“Our goal here is to get these guys to take the next step,” Rasmussen said.

“Smit has a history of striking out a lot of guys, which is a good thing, but like most young pitchers he’s trying to develop his off-speed stuff and his command.”

The 21-year-old Smit was solid for the majority of his second start of the season Friday night, allowing three runs (all in the third) in five innings. He struck out three and walked two.

The Miracle, which trailed 6-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, got a lift offensively from Eric Lis, who hit a tape-measure two-run shot to propel the Miracle past Dunedin 7-6 in the first of a six-game homestand at Hammond Stadium.

“I thought our guys fought hard and came back,” Miracle manager Kevin Boles.

For the Miracle (3-5), who have won three of their last four, much of the attention coming out of camp was on the nucleus of young pitchers.

Smit, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from the Netherlands, went 7-2 with a 2.99 ERA in 34 games with Beloit last season. In 2005, he was named Elizabethtown Pitcher of the Year after he posted a 6-1 mark and a 1.97 ERA in 21 appearances.

Joining Smit in the rotation is Oswaldo Sosa, the Twins’ 25th overall pick in the 2004 draft and Jay Rainville, who is returning after undergoing shoulder surgery last season.

Smit surrendered three runs in the third. Dunedin’s Brian Jeroloman hit a solo home run and Cory Patton drove in two runs on a triple to deep center to stretch the lead to 3-0.

Whit Robbins jumpstarted the Miracle in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run triple and Lis’ RBI single drove in Robbins and put the Miracle ahead 4-3.

Lis gave the Miracle the lead for good with a blast off Dunedin reliever Edgar Estanga.

It is his first home run of the season after hitting 16 last season at class-A Beloit. It is the second home run of the season for the Miracle.

“It was my first one and it felt good,” Lis said. “Plus it helped my team win a ballgame.”