Tag Archives: denis sarfate

June 2, 2010 · 20:55

Tides Defeat Rochester 4-3 as Cla Meredith gets the “Unsave”

Chris George pitched a great game but was left with a no-decision

The Norfolk Tides took the second game of their four game set against the Rochester Red Wings behind solid pitching by Chris George and Denis Sarfate.  With the game time temperature at a comfortable 75 degrees and a light 5 mile and hour wind blowing out to center field under clear skies it was a beautiful western New York night for baseball in front of just under 5000 fans.

The game began on the wrong foot for the Tides when on the second pitch of the game Jason Repko hit a ground ball to third which Josh Bell mishandled and was charged with an error. Repko stole second and took third on a ground out by Brian Dinkelman. He would score on a single by Trevor Plouffe.  This would be the only run allowed while George was pitching and was unearned.  The Red Wings did not score again until the bottom of the 8th inning.

In 6.2 innings work George gave up 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 Red Wing batters. Rochester starting pitcher Glen Perkins held the Tides in check until the 4th inning. In the fourth Josh Bell hammered his 16th double of the season and Nolan Reimold still digging out of his horrific hitting slump on his arrival in Norfolk then singled.  Paco Figueroa came up next and singled to score Bell and was followed by Adam Donachie who singled to drive in Reimold giving the Tides a 2-1 lead.  George would get the first two batters of the 7th inning but after hitting Brian Dinkelman with a pitch was relieved by Ross Wolf who got the next batter, Trevor Plouffe to ground out to Brandon Snyder at first.  In the top frame of the 8th inning the Tides scored again.  Robert Andino doubled to lead the inning off of Red Wings reliever pitcher Brad Hennessy.  Hennessy intentionally walked Josh Bell and got Nolan Reimold to pop up to first base for the second out. Brandon Snyder came up to the plate and singled the first pitch delivered by Hennessy into center field which scored Andino.

In the bottom of the 8th the Tides brought in newly activated relief pitcher Cla Meredith who had been optioned to Norfolk from the O’s late last week. Matt Macri singled to lead off the inning and Meredith walked Brock Peterson.  Wilson Ramos advanced both runners on a sacrifice bunt to first base and Meredith struck out Jose Morales.  On a 0-2 count Dustin Martin singled to drive in Macri and Ramos to tie the game, which netted Meredith his first blown save in Norfolk.  He was able to retire Jason Repko to end the inning.

In the top of the 9th with one out Joey Gathright singled on a ground ball to second and advanced to second on a throwing error by second baseman Brian Dinkelman and Matt Angle singled to bring Gathright home to retake the lead for the Tides. In the bottom frame the Tides brought in Denis Sarfate sent the Wings down in order on 12 pitches for his 4th save of the season.

Cla Meredith got what I am going to start calling the “unsave” instead of a standard “blown save.” The definition that I give to the “unsave” is a blown save where the reliever who blows the save ends up getting the win.  It’s kind of like when 7-Up was called the “uncola” it’s not a save and yet it doesn’t have the same sting as a blown save, unless perhaps you are the pitcher that would have had a win had the reliever not blown the save. Unsaves are kind of wins that a pitcher falls into as he has to blow the save to get the win which if you think about it is not a way that you want to win if you can avoid it. But anyway I digress.

The Tides had 4 runs on 12 hits with 1 error and left 10 on base while the Red Wings had 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 error and also left 10 men on base.  Cla Meredith (1-0 18.00 ERA) got the win for the Tides and Denis Sarfate (0-0 S4 1.15 ERA) the save. Anthony Slama (0-1 1.80 ERA) took the loss for the Wings. Tonight the teams play game three of this series with Troy Patton (3-6 5.70 ERA) who dominated Pawtucket in his last start taking the hill for the Tides and Matt Fox (4-2 2.44 ERA) pitching for the home team.

The Orioles lost their sixth straight, this time to the New York Yankees as Miguel Tejada committed an error which allowed two runs to score giving the loss to Brian Matusz who only allowed one earned run to the powerful Yankees attack.  The loss dropped the O’s to 15-37with a .288 winning percentage.  Things do not look any brighter tonight as the Yankees have a 6-0 lead in the 5th having driven Brad Bergeson from the game.

Peace,

Padre Steve+

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June 1, 2010 · 00:47

Tides Drop Final Two in Pawtucket on Consecutive Blown Saves; Arietta Wins in Rochester

Robert Andino Got his 6th home run of the year Monday

Brandon Erbe must be wondering what he needs to do to get a win and Armando Gabino making his second start for the Tides taking Chris Tillman’s spot in the rotation must be scratching his head as well.  This weekend each pitcher saw solid performances end in losses when the relief staff could not seal the deal.  For Erbe it looked like after a dismal start to the season when even his good performances could not get a win that he just might get a win in Pawtucket and this Padre was wondering why the Deity did not answer his prayers for Brandon to get the win.  For Gabino who has not delivered a bad performance to date the no-decision result had to be frustrating but most certainly not the frustration experienced by Erbe. On the other side of the coin Jake Arietta continues to win and lower his International League ERA even when he has almost no run support.

Nolan Reimold hit his 2nd home run since his return to the Tides on Sunday

In Saturday’s game Erbe pitched 5.2 innings allowing no runs on 5 hits with 5 strikeouts and just one walk.  He left with a 2-0 lead and at first it looked like the bullpen just might hold things together when Pedro Viola got the final out of the 6th inning.  Viola got into trouble in the bottom of the 7th when Dusty Brown singled and was driven home on a double by Jorge Jimenez and Tug Hulett singled to send Jimenez to third. At this point since Viola has had a number of very rough outings Manager Gary Allenson pulled him for the usually reliable Ross Wolf. Unfortunately for the Tides this was not a good night for Wolf though not entirely of his making.  Wolf walked Angel Sanchez and then Daniel Nava hit into what looked to be a force at second but Blake Davis committed a fielding error allowing Nava on and Jimenez to score. Lars Anderson then doubled to score Hulett and Sanchez but Nava was thrown out on the relay by Josh Bell when he attempted to score. The inning ended with the Tides down 4-2 and Erbe’s chance at a win gone.  Tides hitters mustered nothing more and the game went into the bottom of the 8th with Andy Mitchell coming into the game. Mitchell who has been spot on in mid-relief lately gave up 3 runs on 4 hits leaving the Tides down 7-2.  In the 9th Brandon Snyder got a one out singled but was doubled up when Blake Davis hit into a double play to end the game.

Offensively the Tides had 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 errors leaving 6 men on base. Brandon Snyder, Josh Bell and Rhyne Hughes all having doubles and Blake Davis his first home run of the year, a solo shot in the 5th inning. The Pawsox had 7 runs on 13 hits all 7 runs and 8 of the hits came in the 7th and 8th innings against Tides relievers.  The Sox committed 2 errors and left 9 men on base.

Jake Arietta picket up his 6th win lowering his ERA to 1.77

On Sunday the Tides started Armando Gabino.  Gabino scattered 3 runs, 2 of which were earned on 4 hits striking out 6 and walking 3 in six innings work.  He allowed a first inning two run home run to Daniel Nava and a run in the bottom of the 6th when Lars Anderson doubled and scored on a Josh Reddick single. The Tides offense got a run in the 4th tying together an error which allowed Josh Bell on base with one out, a double by Nolan Reimold and a RBI ground ball by Brandon Snyder to score Bell. In the 5th inning the Tides tied the score when Matt Angle just up from AA Bowie bunted for a single and took second on a throwing error. Robert Andino flied out to deep center allowing Angle to take third. Rhyne Hughes then singled to score Angle.  The Tides would take the lead in the top of the 8th as the offense when a newly hot Nolan Reimold hit a 2 run home run.

Jim Miller replaced Gabino in the 7th and pitches a scoreless inning allowing a single and walk while striking out one batter.  Kam Mickolio came in to pitch the bottom of the 8th giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out two. The Tides would fail to score in the 9th and Mickolio was handed the blown save and the loss, his second in the series against the Pawsox.

The Tides had 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 errors with 9 men left on base, the Pawsox 5 runs on 8 hits and 1 error with 8 runners left on base. Dustin Richardson (2-0 3.21) after blowing the save in the top frame of the 8th; got the win for Pawtucket and Fernando Cabrera got his 7th save.  Kam Mickolio had his third blown save of the season and his record dropped to 1 win and 2 losses with an ERZ of 9.42.

The Tides made the overnight bus ride to Rochester and the Tides pitching heated up with the weather on a warm western New York night with a game time temperature of 84 degrees Jake Arietta took the hill for the Tides and pitched yet another great game against the Rochester Red Wings.  This evening Arietta shut down the potent Red Wing attack allowing one run on 5 hits walking 2 and striking out 7 in 8 innings work. The one run came in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Matt Tolbert tripled to right and scored on a Jason Repko single but that would be all for the Wings.  Denis Sarfate came in to close the game and sent the Wings down in order in the bottom of the 9th. The Tides offense was generated in the bottom of the 7th when Josh Bell doubled and advanced to third on a ground out by Nolan Reimold. He then scored on wild pitch by Anthony Swarzak. In the top of the 8th Robert Andino hit his sixth home run of the season to make the score 2-1.

The Tides had 2 runs on 5 hits with no errors and left 3 men on base.  Rochester had one run on 5 hits and no errors leaving 3 on base. Arietta (6-2 1.77) got the win and Denis Sarfate got his third save of the year.  Rob Delany (5-3 4.40) took the loss for the Red Wings.

The teams match up again Monday with Chris George (1-1 3.96) taking the hill for the Tides and Glen Perkins (0-6 8.47) for the Red Wings.

The Tides parent club the Baltimore Orioles dropped their fifth game in a row dropping their record to 15-36 with a .294 win percentage 18.5 games behind the American League East leading Tampa Bay Rays.

Until tomorrow,

Peace,

Padre Steve+

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May 29, 2010 · 10:10

Tides Roll: Patton and Sarfate Combine to Shut Out Pawsox 3-0

Troy Patton dominated Pawtucket on Friday Night

Troy Patton showed what he is made of last night in Pawtucket and why he is on the Baltimore Orioles 40 man roster. After a catastrophic outing last week where he was bombarded for 8 runs and 13 hits Patton (3-6 5.70) came back and showed tremendous poise, confidence and control and pitched a beauty.  Troy faced 23 batters in 7 innings of shutout work allowing just three hits and no walks striking out 4 Pawtucket batters.  Patton showed great pitching economy and control using just 86 pitches to shut down the Sox.  It was by far Troy’s best outing of the year and should allay fears that without Chris Tillman who was called up this morning that the Tides rotation could be in for trouble.  If Troy continues like this he will become one of the leaders of this young and talented staff and put himself in contention for a spot on the Orioles roster.  I say this because it takes a lot of guts for any pitcher to leave behind an outing like last week and focus on the game at hand. Many pitchers lose their edge and confidence but instead of that it looks like Patton has resurrected his season in this fine effort.

Reliever Denis Sarfate (0-0 S@ 1.32) also shined in two innings of solid relief work.  Sarfate pitched to 7 batters allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out three to complete the shutout of the Pawsox and get the save. It is the first time and I believe it is the first time this season that Tides Pitchers have not walked a batter, even Chris Tillman in his no-hitter gave up one walk.

Tides hitters scattered 11 hits and cobbled enough of them together to score three runs which was more than enough to put away the Pawsox.  The first run came in the 2nd inning on a series of singles which began with Josh Bell singling to center, Nolan Reimold hitting one to left and Brandon Snyder doing the same. With the bases loaded and no outs Paco Figueroa singled to left to drive in Bell for the early lead.  In the top frame of the 6th inning Brandon Snyder singled and came home on Paco Figueroa’s first double since coming to the Tides last week.  The Tides got their final run of the night on Jeff Salazar’s 7th home run of the year.

For the Tides they had 3 runs on 11 hits with 2 errors while stranding 8 and Pawtucket no runs on 4 hits and 1 error with 3 men left on base.  The winning pitcher was Troy Patton who notched his third victory of the season while Denis Sarfate got the save.  The losing pitcher was Felix Doubront (0-1 1.50). Tonight the teams play again in Pawtucket with Brandon Erbe (0-8 6.80) still seeking his first win of the campaign up for the Tides and Adam Mills (1-3 4.15) on the hill for the Pawtucket.

After lots of talk and speculation in the media Chris Tillman was recalled to the Orioles today

One the personnel side of the house the Orioles moved David Hernandez to a relief role and recalled Chris Tillman as expected from Norfolk.  They also recalled Jim Johnson to the team from the Tides.

Up in Toronto the Orioles were blanked by the Blue Jays by a score of 5-0 in a game where everything went wrong for the O’s.  With a the worst record in the Major Leagues (15-34) one has to wonder if Manager Dave Tremblay will survive the weekend. The team has far too much talent despite the injuries that it has had to be doing this badly in a year that they expected to return to respectability.

Peace,

Padre Steve+

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May 26, 2010 · 15:51

Tides Defeat Rochester 2-1 Split Series Arietta Wins 5th

Jake Arietta Notched his 5th win against Rochester

The Norfolk Tides recovered from the loss of the first two games to the Rochester Red Wings by taking games three and four of the series, each by a score of 2-1.  On Tuesday Afternoon the Tides evened the series with a win.  Once again it was pitching and defense that did the job for the Tides with just enough situational offense to win the game.  Unfortunately Padre Stevem had this little thing called work to do and could not attend in person but was able to catch parts of the broadcast on his computer in between group sessions and individual counseling sessions with patients at the Medical Center’s Substance Abuse Treatment Center.

It is likely that Chris Tillman could soon be called up to Baltimore as a starter

Jake Arietta took the hill for the Tides facing a Rochester team that until Chris Tillman shut them down Monday had pulverized Tides pitchers.  Both Tillman and Arietta showed that they are not your typical run of the mill AAA pitchers but rather something special.  Both are power pitchers, both have become more confident and more patient, maturing immeasurably since the 2009 campaign.  The two could when they both get to Baltimore be something akin to Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale and when combined with a maturing Brian Matusz and Jeremy Guthrie could become one of the most feared pitching rotations in baseball.

On Tuesday Arietta pitched 7 innings allowing 1 ruin on 7 hits with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts lowering his ERA to 1.86, the best in the International League.  In fact of AAA level starters in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues with over 60 innings work only Luke French of the Seattle Mariners affiliate the Tacoma Rainiers has a better ERA.  The only Rochester run came in the top of the 5th when Jason Repko bunted his way aboard and then stole second. He was singled home by Matt Tolbert and that was all the scoring that the Red Wings mustered for the Day.   Arietta was followed by Kam Mickolio who again had a good outing after a rough start mowing down the Wings in order in the 8th. Denis Safate came in to get the save  striking out the first two batters that he faced, but then allowing a single to Dustin Martin who then went to second on a wild pitch and followed that with a walk to Brock Peterson before retiring Jason Repko on  a routine fly ball to left fielder Danny Figueroa.

Closer Frank Mata had His Contract Purchased by the Orioles

The Tides offense also came in the 5th inning when Anthony Swarzak walked Michel Hernandez and was pulled in favor of Jose Lugo. The first batter that Lugo faced was newly called up outfielder Danny Figueroa, twin brother of Tides second baseman Paco Figueroa.  Danny had been called up to replace the struggling Nolan Reimold who was placed on the temporary inactive list due to the birth of a baby.  Figueroa didn’t take long to figure out Lugo and promptly blasted the first pitch into the Straub Beer party deck in right field.  Tides reliever Jim Miller traded a couple of balls for the one Danny hit into the deck from fans so that Figueroa could have a memento of his first AAA level home run.

The Red Wings had 1 run on 8 hits and 1 error leaving 9 men on base, the Tides 2 runs on 4 hits with no errors and 5 men left on base.  Jake Arietta (5-2 1.81) got the win and Jose Lugo (0-3 6.54) the loss.  Denis Sarfate (0-0 S1 1.54) got the save.  The Tides have a travel day Wednesday and open a 4 game series in Pawtucket against the Pawsox on Thursday with Chris George (1-1 4.22) starting for the Tides and Boof Bonser (0-2 10.61) taking the hill for the Sox.

Justin Turner was signed by the New York Mets

There has been quite a bit of action in the personnel department for the Tides and Orioles even since last week.  Michael Aubrey was placed on the 7 Day DL on the 24th retroactive to the 23rd.  Ross Wolf was assigned to Aberdeen while Jim Miller was recalled from Aberdeen; Alberto Castillo returned to the Tides but was called back up the 25th along with closer Frank Mata whose contract was selected by the Orioles.  Danny Figueroa was promoted to the Tides from AA Bowie and Nolan Reimold placed on the temporary inactive list. Up in Baltimore David Hernandez was moved to the Bullpen a move that the Orioles say will be for the rest of the season which could open the way into the rotation for Chris Tillman.  On a further note infielder Justin Turner who was designated for assignment last week was signed by the New York Mets and assigned to AAA Buffalo.  I would expect that due to the Mets’ personnel; situation that Turner could be playing in New York by mid-summer.

Until the next time peace my friends,

Padre Steve+

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May 25, 2010 · 00:29

Tides Lose Sunday 8-4 to Rochester but Win on Pitching and Defense Monday 2-1 Tillman wins his 5th Game

Brandon Snyder launches a 2 RBI double in the 1st inning of Sunday’s game

Well Sunday’s weather was best described as murky as were the fortunes of the Tides as they were defeated by a score of 8-4 by the visiting Rochester Red Wings at Harbor Park.  With a delay of 45 minutes due to rain to begin the day and the constant threat of showers throughout the day the Tides got out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning when Rhyne Hughes singled to drive across Robert Andino and Brandon Snyder pounded out a double to score Josh Bell and Rhyne Hughes.

Josh Bell waves Rhyne Hughes across the plate on Brandon Snyder’s Double Sunday

But just when you thought it was safe to go into the water the Red Wings who had hammered the Tides on Saturday night struck again for 5 runs off of Brandon Erbe in the top of the 2nd inning on 7 hits including a 2 RBI triple by Brock Peterson.  Erbe finished the second inning be he was done for the day as the Tides brought in Ross Wolf.  Wolf would pitch three solid innings allowing 2 hits and 2 walks but no runs showing his continued poise to hold an opposing team when they have the momentum. Denis Sarfate came on in the 6th inning to shut down the Red “hot” Wings allowing a hit and a walk but nothing more striking out four in 2 innings work.

The work of Wolf and Sarfate seemed to give the Tides a chance to get back into the game and Jeff Salazar got them back into the game with a solo home run, his 6th of the year off of Wings reliever Steven Waldrop.  However in the top of the 8th the Wings came back with 3 runs on 3 hits the big one being a 2 run homer by Brian Dinkleman.  The Tides would muster nothing more and the game ended with the Red Wings defeating the Tides by a score of 8-4.

For the Tides they had 4 runs 8 hits with one error and 7 men left on base. The Wings had 8 runs on 13 hits and no errors with 8 runners left on base.  The winning pitcher was Rochester reliever Tim Lahey (3-1 6.90) and the loser Brandon Erbe (0-8 6.80).

Chris Tillman delivering a called 3rd strike on Rochester Outfielder Dustin Martin

Monday night would be another matter it was the night of the pitchers.  All the scoring was accounted for in the 1st inning on this temperate and windy Tuesday night.  The Wings struck first as Jason Repko led off with a double and was driven home by Matt Tolbert.  Jose Morales then walked but Tillman got Dustin Martin to ground into a double play and got Danny Valencia to pop out to third to end the inning.  In the bottom frame the Tides got to work fast. Jeff Salazar led off with a double and was singled home by Robert Andino who would score on a Josh Bell double. That gave the Tides a 2-1 lead which starter Chris Tillman (5-4 3.24) and the relief corps tenaciously defended with the help of inspired defense.  Tillman left after completing six innings allowing just the one run on 8 hits walking one and striking out seven.  He was relieved in the 7th by Armando Gabino who was a gem of a pickup for the Tides becoming a very solid middle relief and set up man as well as occasional starting pitcher. Gabino would pitch three innings giving up 3 hits and a walk, allowing no runs and striking out three.  However good his pitching was it was defense that came to his rescue in the 8th and 9th innings. The defensive highlights were many but two most memorable came late in the game to squelch Red Wing rallies in the 8th and 9th innings.  In the 8th with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd Wilson Ramos singled to left field and Danny Valencia decided to test the arm of Jeff Salazar. Salazar threw a laser which took one hop and catcher Adam Donachie made a great tag to get the out on Valencia to end the inning.  In the 9th inning with 2 on including a runner at third base with only 1 out Gabino faced Rochester shortstop Matt Tolbert.  Tolbert hit a sharp ground ball to first baseman Brandon Snyder who threw to shortstop Robert Andino to get the runner at second who threw back to Snyder to just get the very fast Tolbert at first for the 3-6-3 double play and the win.

Armando Gabino gets Dustin Martin to ground out

Rochester had 1 run on 11 hits with no errors and 10 men left on base.  They had their leadoff batter reach base in 7 of 9 innings but between stand up pitching by Tillman and Gabino as well as the defense could do no more against a Tides team that scored 2 runs on 7 hits and no errors and left 6 men on base. Chris Tillman (5-4 3.24) got the win and Gabino (2-0 S1 1.50) got the save.  The loss went to Rochester starter Deolis Guerra (0-2 5.29).  The teams will wrap up their series with an afternoon game on Wednesday at Harbor Park with Jake Arietta (4-2 1.93) on the mound for the Tides facing Anthony Swarzak (0-1 7.00).

Peace

Padre Steve+

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May 17, 2010 · 07:04

Tides Edge Bisons 5-4 Gabino gets Win and Reimold Homers in Victory

Armando Gabino got his first win as a starter for the Tides

The Norfolk Tides broke a four game losing streak against the Bisons in Buffalo on sunny and mild Sunday afternoon in front of 5819 of the Bison’s’ “Herd.” Today the Tides had enough offense combined with effective pitching to edge the Bisons by a score of 5-4 at Coca Cola Field in Buffalo.

The Tides started Armando Gabino (2-0 1.89) today as their regular number three starter Chris George had been placed on the 7 day DL.  Gabino who had not started a game for the Tides working middle to late relief this year got his second win of the season holding the Bisons to one run on 5 hits in 5 innings striking out 6 in six innings of work in this his longest outing of the season.  Tides relievers managed to hold the potent Bisons offense with Ross Wolf, Denis Sarfate and Frank Mata combining to hold the Bisons to 3 runs on 3 hits with Mata (0-0 S7 2.04) getting the save.

Jeff Salazar had an RBI double

The Tides offense was powered by Nolan Reimold who had a 2 run home run in the 6th inning, Josh Bell with a double and 2 RBIs and Jeff Salazar with a double and an RBI.

The Tides jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning when Justin Turner doubled, Jeff Salazar walked and Josh Bell doubled to drive both men in for a 2-0 lead.  In the bottom of the second the Bisons got one of those runs back when Russ Adams doubled and was driven in by Andy Green who also doubled.  The score would remain 2-0 until the 6th inning when Nolan Reimold in his second game with the Tides and his first play first base since 2005 hammered a 2 run home run to give the Tides a 4-1 lead. The Bisons got both of those back in the bottom frame when Mike Jacobs doubled and Mike Hessman the all time Minor League home run leader walked both to be driven home when Russ Adams doubled.  In the top of the 7th inning the Tides scored again as Justin Turner singled and stole second base. Jeff Salazar then doubled to score Turner and extend the Tides lead to 5-3.  Valentino Pascucci homered in the bottom of the 8th inning against Denis Sarfate to narrow the lead to 5-4. Frank Mata came into the game to end the 8th inning and close in the 9th where he got Andy Green to fly out to Joey Gathright in center, Ruben Tejada to line out to Josh Bell at third where bell made a great stop diving to his right to catch the ball for the put out and prevent an extra base hit. Mata then got Jason Pridie to fly out to Gathright to end the game.

Bobby Livingston (1-5 4.35) took the loss while Gabino got the save. The teams complete the series on Monday night with Troy Patton should go to the hill for the Tides while the Bisons starter is not named on their website.  After that game the Tides will travel back to Norfolk to face the Pawtucket Red Sox in a 4 game series beginning Tuesday.

In Tides and Orioles personnel moves Alberto Castillo was called up to the Orioles while Andy Mitchell was brought back off the “taxi squad” while officially being assigned to sing “A” Aberdeen and Rhyne Hughes was optioned back to the Tides from the Orioles.

Alberto Castillo was called back up to Baltimore

In Baltimore the Orioles dropped their second game in a row to the Indians by a score of 5-1.

Until the next time,

Peace

Padre Steve+

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May 15, 2010 · 23:59

Northern Road Trip gets Frosty: Cold Tides Lose 5-3 and 4-0 in Buffalo

Mike Hessman in his Toledo Mud Hens uniform the all time Minor League Home Run King victimized Chris Tillman and Jake Arietta (James Venes photo 2007)

The Norfolk Tides have dropped their last four consecutive games on their northern road trip. After the last two games of their series against Syracuse including the heartbreaking 2-1 loss on Thursday the Tides have lost two more this time to the Buffalo Bisons the AAA affiliate of the Tides former parent club the New York Mets.  With cool weather and blustery winds the two teams faced off at Coca Cola Field and the Bisons took both Friday and Saturday’s games with Mike Hessman the all time minor league home run king victimizing Chris Tillman and Jake Arietta for his 11th and 12th home runs of the season.

On Friday night in front of 5729 with temperatures in the 50s and winds blowing 17 miles an hour the Tides started Chris Tillman (3-4 3.83) who as of late has done quite well.  Friday was a different matter. Tillman allowed 5 runs 4 of which were earned runs on 8 hits including two home runs in six innings work.  The damage started in the third inning when Tillman allowed a single to Alex Cintron who went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ruben Tejada. Tillman struck out Jason Pridie but then balked which allowed Pridie to advance to third. Jesus Feliciano then bunted for a single to score Pridie before Tillman got out of the inning getting Mike Jacobs to fly out to right fielder Blake Davis.

The Bisons added three more in the 4th inning beginning with Mike Hessman hitting a home run to left to lead off the inning.  Valentino Pascucci then popped out and Tillman walked Russ Adams.  J R House a former member of the Tides from 2007 who was just signed by the Mets to a minor league contract after playing with the Astros and the Astros organization singled Adams to second.  Alex Cintron grounded to Brandon Snyder at first which Snyder misplayed allowing Adams to score and House to advance to third. Meanwhile Cintron attempted to stretch his good fortune but was thrown out at second by right fielder Blake Davis who had fielded the ball after it got away from Snyder.  Ruben Tejada then singled to score House before Tillman retired Jason Pridie on a pop up to Justin Turner at second.

The Tides came back to score 3 runs in the top of the 5th.  Blake Davis singled to center and went to second on a passed ball. Robert Andino grounded out to second moving Davis to third. Catcher Michel Hernandez grounded out for the second out and Davis had to remain at third.  With two out Joey Gathright reached on an error by second baseman Alex Cintron and Davis scored.  Gathright then stole second and was driven in by Justin Turner who singled to center. Jeff Salazar then singled to right and Turner went to third. Josh Bell singled to score Turner before Nolan Reimold in his first game with the Tides since being optioned by Baltimore to Norfolk grounded into a force play to end the inning.

It seemed that the Tides were back in the game and that their dormant bats were alive again.  However in the bottom of the 6th inning Valentino Pascucci hit a leadoff home run to increase the lead to 5-3.  This was not an insurmountable lead but the Tides managed just one more hit the rest of the game going down in order in the 7th and 8th innings and only managing the hit, a single by pinch hitter Michael Aubrey  with two outs in the top of the 9th.

In the end the Tides had 3 runs on 9 hits and allowed an error the Bisons 5 runs on 11 hits and 1 error. Tillman (3-4 3.83) got the loss and knuckleballer R A Dickey (4-2 2.23) got the win for the Bisons.

The Tides fared worse on Saturday.  Today the Tides would scatter just four hits and only get one runner into scoring position and were shut out by the Bisons 4-0.  Jake Arietta (3-2 2.20) took the hill for the Tides going up against Pat Misch (3-0 3.30). Arietta gave up a run in the 1st inning when Mike Hessman who had victimized Chris Tillman on Friday singled to drive in Jesus Feliciano. The Bisons scored another run in the bottom of the 2nd inning after Arietta walked Andy Green to start the inning and Green advanced to third on a single by Ruben Tejada. He would score on a ground ball by Jason Pridie.  In the bottom of the third the Bisons scored again when Mike Hessman homered to lead off the inning. Hessman was drafted by the Braves in 1996 and has played 15 years in the minors 9 years at the AAA level getting to the majors in only four seasons for a total of 77 games hitting 13 home runs.  Hessman is interesting, he played on the 2008 Bronze Medal US Olympic team has hit 323 home runs in the minor leagues and holds the minor league record for home runs.  The shot in the 3rd inning was his 12th of this season.

The Bisons added a final run in the bottom of the 6th inning when Andy Green homered off Arietta.  Even though Pedro Viola and Denis Sarfate held the Bisons to no more runs once again the Tides could manage no offense and they fell to the Bisons by the score of 4-0.  The Tides final line was 0 runs on 4 hits with one error, the Bisons 4 runs on 5 hits and no errors.  With the loss the Tides drop to 15-22 having lost five of the first six games of the northern road trip and into the cellar of the IL South.  The Tides and Bisons will square off Sunday afternoon. The pitchers are not announced but the number three man in the Tides rotation Chris George was placed on the seven day DL which could move Troy Patton up in the rotation as the Tides have no real starters in the bullpen.  Short reliever Jim Miller was brought back up from Aberdeen.

Up in Baltimore the Orioles who had won their last three games relearned the hard lesson that you have to get 27 outs to win the game. The O’s blew a 2-0 lead to the Cleveland Indians in the 9th inning with Alfredo Simon and Cla Meredith each allowing four runs in an 8 run rally once again denying Brian Matusz his first win of the season.

Peace

Padre Steve+

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May 11, 2010 · 16:54

Tides Fall to Chiefs 4-3 in Syracuse

Jake Arietta pitched 7 innings but got a no decision

The Norfolk Tides travelled north to Syracuse on faced the Chiefs in the opening game of a four game series at Alliance Bank Field.  The Chiefs who are the AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals lead the North Division of the International League with a record of 18-11 and are playing very good ball.  Even more surprising for the Nationals organization is that the Nationals have an 18-14 record and sit in second place in the NL East trailing the division leading Philadelphia Phillies by two games.

In front of a crowd of 3612 fans who braved temperatures that fell into the 40s as the night wore on and variable winds of 11 miles an hour the teams took the field.  Although it was cold the weather was nowhere near as bad as the weekend where two games between the Chiefs and the Gwinnett Braves were postponed due to winter weather including snow on Sunday. The Tides started Jake Arietta who faced Sharion Martis of the Chiefs. Arietta (3-1 1.67) pitched seven innings allowing 2 earned ruins on 4 hits.  He gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the 4th inning when after walking Josh Whitesell and then on a 1-1 count hit Mike Morris.  This brought up Pete Orr who bunted to Arietta who fielded the ball the throw was late to First Baseman Brandon Snyder but also wild which allowed Whitesell to score on the play.  Orr was given a hit on the play but Arietta the error as the throw enabled Whitesell to score and Orr to advance to second.

The Tides scored one run in the top of the 4th inning when Corey Patterson continued his ferocious hitting by launching a triple to right field and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Josh Bell his 20th RBI of the season.  The Tides would score again and tie the game in the 6th inning.  Corey Patterson walked to lead off the inning and was followed by Josh Bell who popped up to third baseman Pete Orr in foul territory.  Scott Moore then singled and Patterson was held at second base.  To the plate came Brandon Snyder who had a key role in the Tides win against the Mud Hens on Sunday. Brandon took a called strike from Martis and then fouled tow pitches off before taking ball one.  With a 2-1 count Snyder tripled to right to bring both Patterson and Moore home to tie the score.  Justin Turner struck out swinging and when the ball got away from catcher Carlos Maldonado Snyder attempted top come home. Maldonado threw to relief pitcher Drew Storen who tagged Snyder out at the plate to end the inning.

Brandon Snider had 2 2 RBI Triple in the top of the 6th inning

The game remained knotted at 3 until the bottom of the 8th inning. Arietta left at the end of the 7th and was relieved by Ross Wolf who has been very effective in relief this year.  Wolf faced Kevin Mensch who after working the count to 2-2 by fouling off four pitches took the seventh pitch and doubled to center.  Josh Whitesell singled to right fielder Michael Aubrey scoring Mensch.  Wolf would work his way out of the inning but the damage was done and the Tides were unable to score in the 9th inning despite a single by Corey Patterson and the Chiefs took game one by a score of 4-2.

Arietta went seven innings and got a no decision giving up 2 earned runs on 4 hits. His problem came due to control; he gave up five walks and hit one batter as well as the throwing error that cost the run in the 4th inning.  Ross Wolf (0-2 2.89)  got the loss in relief giving up one run on two hits.  Chiefs reliever Ron Villone (1-1 9.53) got the win and Joel Peralta (0-0 S8) got his eighth save of the season.  The teams meet again on Tuesday with Chris George (1-1 4.50) getting the start for the Tides and Chuck James (2-0 4.85) taking the hill at home for the Chiefs.

The Tides made a number of personnel moves over the weekend sending pitcher Jim Miller and catcher Steve Lerud to Baltimore’s short season “A” team the Aberdeen Ironbirds, and activating pitcher Denis Sarfate and catcher Michel Hernandez from the disabled list.  Pitcher Jim Johnson who had been sent down from the Orioles last week was placed on the 7 day disabled list for elbow pain.

Peace,

Padre Steve+

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April 9, 2010 · 00:26

Norfolk Drops Home Opener 5-3 to Bulls

Opening Day 2010 at Harbor Park

The Church of Baseball Harbor Park parish came together this evening for opening day in what should be an exciting season one that I predict that they will do well.  Over 10,000 fans showed up the largest opening day attendance since 1995.  Although the wind was brutal the temperatures were not bad and the expected rain showers held off providing an excellent night for baseball, especially given the fact that this is Hampton Roads where weather in early April can sometimes be a bit sporty.

Chris Tillman took the loss

Chris Tillman got the loss giving up two runs in four innings work but not looking bad. Ross Wolf gave up three in the 5th but settled down and relievers Kam Mikolio and Denis Sarfate shut down the Bulls in the late innings with Sarfate striking out the side with some major league heat in the top of the 8th.  Rhyne Hughes picked up from the Rays in August 2009 scored two runs and Joey Gathright drove in two and stole a base.

Kam Mikolio bearing down on a Bulls batter

Durham pitching held the Tides to 6 hits and the Tides had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the 9th but could only get one run as their rally attempt fell flat. Despite this the team has everything that it needs to have a great season and I think that this talented young team will do great things in 2010. The Tides and Bulls match up tomorrow night at Harbor Park with Tides pitcher Jake Arrieta going up against Bulls pitcher Heath Phillips.

Meanwhile down in Tampa the Orioles picked up their first win of the season edging the Rays 5-4 with Brian Matusz making a strong showing in his first start of 2010.

Until tomorrow,

Padre Steve+

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