Miracle lose 2-1, fall one game short of title

FORT MYERS — This, apparently, is scoreboard watching in the Florida State League, where guys in the bullpen give Ebert-like thumbs up or down to the dugout, and scoring updates come only to those with Jack Bauer-strength PDAs.

“But,” Fort Myers Miracle broadcaster/media relations whiz Sean Aronson deadpanned toward the hitters’ green screen in center, “if we finish first, we’re putting the rest of that game on the Jumbotron.”

Or so it goes in the High-A FSL, where first-half champs meet second-half champs in the postseason, and where quirky playoff scenarios cast one eye on the pitchers’ duel unfolding Wednesday at Hammond Stadium, and the other on the happenings in Tampa.

At least, for those with wireless access.

The Miracle, winners of two straight to freeze the Dunedin Blue Jays’ West Division magic number — at 1 for six days now, including the weekend all-star break — needed a win and another Jays loss to clinch their first division title since Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel, Jesse Crain and Co. won the first-half crown three summers ago.

In the end, though, the local scoreboard told Miracle players and fans all they needed to know. Fort Myers saw their playoff hopes doused, at least until September, with a 2-1 loss to lefty Jon Connolly and third-place Lakeland, winners in eight of 12 meetings between the clubs this season.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Tigers starter was perfect through 5Ò innings to keep pace with Fort Myers ace Kevin Slowey, who was promoted to Double-A New Britain after holding Lakeland to four hits over 7Ò innings, struck out seven and allowed two unearned runs to lower his minor-league best ERA to an anemic 1.01.

Then, sure enough, the Yankees plated three in the bottom of the eighth to award Dunedin, swept in the most important series of the season, the first-half championship.

“You get promoted and it’s great, but this certainly is my team and it’s tough to have it end on a loss like this,” said Slowey, who finishes 4-1 with 99 strikeouts against nine walks in a league-high 89Ð innings. “You’ve got to tip your cap to their guy. He knew full well whether he won or lost they were out of the playoffs and he threw a great game. He kept us off balance all day.”

In fact, Connolly didn’t allow a baserunner until Korey Feiner slapped a 2-1 fastball through the right side with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Fort Myers (38-32) got a second man on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, when Brock Peterson drew a two-out walk, but the Miracle first baseman slipped rounding third on Matt Tolbert’s infield single to keep the game scoreless.

It wouldn’t be the only bad break for manager Kevin Boles’ team.

With two out in the top of the eighth, Tigers leadoff hitter Nick McIntyre shot what looked like a routine fly ball between center fielder Brandon Roberts, playing in just his third game after being acquired from Sarasota last Thursday, and left fielder Garrett Guzman that should have ended the inning. Roberts, running to his right, pulled up at the last second, possibly spotting an incoming Guzman as the ball dropped between them.

Brent Dlugach, running from first after slapping just the Tigers’ third hit off Slowey earlier in the inning, came home to score the game’s first run. Slowey intentionally walked Clete Thomas to set up a force with two outs, then Jeff Frazier sent a broken-bat looper into left to make it a two-run lead.

“Both of them called for it,” Boles said, “and the ball just dropped in. It was just unfortunate.”

Fort Myers threatened a comeback in the ninth after Guzman’s RBI groundout made it 2-1 and put the tying run on third with two outs, but reliever Kevin Whelan — curiously entering to AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” as a visiting closer — got Peterson to fly to center for his 14th save.

“We could have folded (earlier), no doubt about that,” reliever Tim Lahey said of the closing push. “We could have packed it in and said, ‘Hey, better luck in the second half,’ but that’s not the way this team has approached all year. Every day you go to the ballpark and you go do your work. We know that’s the way you become successful individually, and it’s also how you become more successful as a team.”

Boles said he was proud of his team for fighting until their first-half finale.

“We’ve got a lot accomplished but we still have a lot more work to do,” said Boles, who loses Slowey, Guzman and Tolbert to New Britain as his team opens the second half tonight at home against Clearwater.