Tag Archives: jeff salazar

July 29, 2010 · 21:34

Tides Take Down Yankees 8-6, Bell and Reimold Homer

Nolan Reimold homered and had a double on Wednesday

There was no pitcher’s duel in Scranton on Wednesday as the Norfolk Tides slugged it out with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees 8-6 in a game that each team had 14 hits.  Starting pitcher Troy Patton pitched well enough to get the win and unlike many of his early season appearances had good hitting support. Patton gave up 4 runs on 8 hits in 5.2 innings work before being relieved with 2 outs in the 6th inning by Pat Egan. One of the charged runs to Patton scored on a single hit by Kevin Russo off of Egan.  The Yankees’ starter David Phelps last only 3 innings giving up 5 runs on 7 hits.  Kei Igawa came in the 4th inning for the Yankees and lasted 3 innings giving up 2 runs on 4 hits.  Mark Melancon gave up the 8th run allowed by the Yankees in two innings work.  Tides relievers Frank Mata and Denis Sarfate each gave up a run in the final innings with Sarfate facing 7 batters and throwing 34 pitches to get through the inning.

The Tides took an early 2-0 lead on walks given up to Robert Andino and Jeff Salazar with Andino scoring on a Josh Bell single and Salazar scoring on a double by Nolan Reimold.  The Yankees got back one of those runs in the bottom of the inning when Kevin Russo singled to lead off the inning and scored on a double by Eric Bruntlett.  The Tides then struck hard in the 3rd inning when Jeff Salazar doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a 2 run home run by Josh Bell. Bell was followed by Nolan Reimold who also homered to give the Tides a 5-1 lead.  The Tides scored two more in the top of the 5th inning when Reimold walked, Rhyne Hughes singled and Brandon Snyder doubled to drive in both runners.  Scranton picked up a run in the bottom half of the inning when Reid Gorecki doubled and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Eric Bruntlett.  In the bottom of the 6th the Yankees finally got to Patton. Chad Tracy doubled and with two outs was driven in on a Chad Huffman single. Reegie Corona singled and Patton walked Gorecki to load the bases. Patton was pulled for Pat Egan who gave up a single to Kevin Russo which scored Huffman before getting Eric Bruntlett to ground into a force play. The Tides scored their final run when Josh Bell singled, Nolan Reimold walked and Rhyne Hughes singled to score Bell.

Denis Sarfate got his 13th save

Frank Mata came into the game in the 8th inning and once again struggled lasting only two thirds of an inning giving up a run on three singles and a walk and loading the bases before the Tides brought in Denis Sarfate. Sarfate got Eduardo Nunez to pop-out to Robert Andino to end the inning.  In the bottom half of the 9th Sarfate seemed to struggle giving up 2 singles and a walk before getting the final two batters to end the game.

Patton (7-9 4.80 ERA) got the win and Phelps (1-2 3.86 ERA) took the loss. Denis Sarfate notched his 13th save.  The Tides had 8 runs on 14 hits with no errors leaving 9 men on base. The Yankees 6 runs on 14 hits with no errors leaving 12 men on. The teams meet tonight with Chris Tillman back on the hill for the Tides facing Jason Hirsch.

In personnel moves before the game Jeff Salazar was activated from the DL and catcher Adam Donachie was sent to the single A Frederick Keys.

Peace

Padre Steve+

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July 25, 2010 · 22:56

Tides Drop Pair over Weekend to Iron Pigs

Chris George struck out 11 but left with no decision on Sunday

The Norfolk Tides win streak and hitting barrage stopped on Saturday as the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs defeated the Tides 6-4 on Saturday and 3-2 on Sunday.  On Saturday Chris Tillman made his first start since returning from Baltimore and was hit hard giving up 6 run on 8 hits.  Chris was stung by the long ball giving up a solo shot to John Mayberry in the 2nd inning and a two run homer to Ozzie Smith Chavez in the 3rd inning.  In the 4th inning Tillman gave up a double and three singles before being pulled in favor of Mike Hinckley.  Tillman left the game and relievers Mike Hinckley and Cla Meredith held the Iron Pigs scoreless for the remainder of the game.

Matt Angle has made a lot of money for the Tides as the lead off hitter and leading base stealer

The Tides scored four runs the first coming in the 1st inning when Matt Angle helped manufacture a run by walking, stealing second base and eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly by Michael Aubrey. The Tides came up with nothing more until the 6th inning when Robert Andino singled and stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch by Lehigh Valley starter Nate Bump.  He scored on a single by Josh Bell.  Nolan Reimold singled and Michael Schwimer replaced Nate Bump. Schwimer threw a wild pitch and which allowed Bell and Reimold to advance.  Brandon Snyder singled to score both men before Schwimer struck out Adam Donachie swinging to end the inning.  The Tides went quietly in the last three innings and the Tides went down to a 6-4 defeat. Chris Tillman (8-5 3.14 ERA) got the loss and Nate Bump (8-4 3.33 ERA) the win.  The Tides had 4 runs on 9 hits with 1 error leaving 4 men on base. The Iron Pigs 6 runs on 11 hits and no errors leaving 6 runners stranded.

Sunday evenings game Chris George faced off against Drew Carpenter. The Tides struck first with 2 runs in the top of the 2nd inning when Michel Hernandez singled and stole second base and came home on a Matt Angle single with Angle advancing to second on the throw.  Robert Andino singled to drive in Angle and the Tides had a 2-0 lead.

Chris George pitched five scoreless innings before giving up 2 runs in the 6th inning.  He allowed 9 hits but struck out 11 Iron Pigs and walked none.  Chris gave up the runs on a single by John Mayberry a double by Chris Aguila which scored Mayberry and an RBI single to Neil Sellers.  Chris would yield in the 7th to Alberto Castillo who put the Iron Pigs down in order striking out 2 batters.

The game would remain tied until the bottom of the 8th inning. Frank Mata who has not been effective since his return from Baltimore walked Mayberry who stole second base and took third on a wild pitch by Mata. Neil Sellers singled to bring Mayberry home before Mata retired the side on a double play. The Tides went down in order in the 9th and to their second defeat in as many days.  Mata (2-2 3.52 ERA) took the loss while reliever Michael Stutes (2-0 3.63 ERA) got the win for the Chiefs with Antonio Bastardo got his 3rd save.  The Tides had 2 runs on 9 hits with 1 error and left 10 men on base.  The Iron Pigs 3 runs on 10 hits and 1 error with 8 men left on base.

These losses have hurt as the Iron Pigs are one of the weaker teams in the league and the Tides had a chance to gain ground or keep even with their Southern Division rivals.  They lead Gwinnett by 1.5 games and trail 2nd place Charlotte by 4.  The formidable and seemingly unstoppable Durham Bulls are up by 10 over the Knights and 14 over the Tides.  The teams will meet Monday with Tim Bascom (2-5 7.39 ERA) on the hill for the Tides while Joe Savery (1-8 5.01 ERA) starts for Lehigh Valley.

In Baltimore Matt Wieters returned to the lineup from the DL and the Orioles optioned catcher Craig Tatum to the Tides. The move is unpopular with many Orioles fans as Tatum is hitting .271 and has played well behind the plate. Kam Mickolio, Brandon Erbe and Jeff Salazar remain on the Tides Disabled List.

Until tomorrow my friends, peace,

Padre Steve+

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July 21, 2010 · 00:09

Aubrey Homers and Drives in 4 Runs but Tides Lose 8-5 to Chiefs

Michael Aubrey hit his 11th home run and drove in 4 in the losing effort

Norfolk Tides First Baseman Michael Aubrey is definitely back in fighting form after being injured early in the season and struggling to get his form back.  Aubrey has hit 5 home runs is the past 6 games and on Tuesday he turned Harbor Park into his park hitting his 11th home run of the campaign and driving in 4 runs in a losing cause.

Tim Bascom was roughed up again for 6 runs in 1.2 innings

The game began badly for the Tides as starter Tim Bascom was shelled in the 1st and 2nd inning giving up 6 runs on 5 hits, one of which was a 2 run home run to Leonard Davis and 4 walks in just 1.2 innings work.  Bascom (2-5 7.39 ERA) who is 0-3 in his last 4 starts giving up 19 runs on 23 hits with 9 walks and 4 home runs in 13.2 innings work with a 12.27 ERA took the loss.  His last win was on June 27th against Louisville where he pitched 6 innings giving up 2 runs but living dangerously giving up 11 hits. It is possible that he could be sent back to AA Bowie to get back his confidence and work on his mechanics and if I was in the Orioles management I would do exactly that.  With Chris Tillman being optioned back to Norfolk today following the beating that he received at the hands of the Rays on Monday the probability of this move has increased.

Tides relievers Mike Hinckley, Cla Meredith, Alberto Castillo and Denis Sarfate pitched the remaining 7.1 innings giving up 2 runs on 8 hits striking out 7 and walking none.

The Tides were held in check for the first 6 innings but in the 7th came alive.  Matt Angle singled to lead off the inning and scored on Robert Andino’s 23rd double of the season.  Nolan Reimold walked to bring up Michael Aubrey who has turned into a home run machine in the past week.  Aubrey belted the ball over the right field wall on a pitch by Chiefs starter Ron Villone who was pulled from the game after the hit.  The Tides threatened in the 9th inning when Jeff Salazar walked with one out and moved to third on a single by Nolan Reimold.  Michael Aubrey came to the plate and drove in Salazar with a sacrifice fly but Rhyne Hughes struck out to end the game.

The Chiefs had 8 runs on 12 hits with no errors leaving 10 on base.  The Tides had 5 runs on 5 hits with 1 error stranding 1 man on base in the losing effort.  Tim Bascom (2-5 7.39 ERA) took the loss and Erik Arnesen (3-5 4.35 ERA) was the winning pitcher.  The teams meet Wednesday with Troy Patton (6-9 4.91 ERA) on the hill for the Tides against the Chiefs Jason Jones (1-4 4.82 ERA).

Up in Baltimore the O’s came back in a see-saw game against the Rays. Down 8-4 in the bottom of the 7th the Orioles tied the game and scored the winning run when Julio Lugo hit a walk off single to score Cesar Izturis with 1 out in the bottom of the 13th inning.  Former Tides infielder Scott Moore tied the game in the bottom of the 12 after the Rays had taken a 10-9 lead.

Until next time,

Peace

Padre Steve+

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July 18, 2010 · 09:22

Britton and Tides Shut Out Clippers 4-0 while Aubrey Homers Twice

Zack Britton dominated the Clippers for 7.1 innings

Young Zack Britton stepped on the little hill in the center of the diamond to face the best hitting and top run scoring team in the International League, the Columbus Clippers who even on bad nights have rung up opposing pitchers like telemarketers calling at dinner. Tonight the 22 year old lefty from Panorama City California disconnected those heavy hitting telemarketers for 7.1 innings allowing only 5 hits. He was assisted by Armando Gabino who pitched 1.2 innings allowing just a hit.  It was a dominating performance by both Britton who is rumored to be on the fast track to the Major Leagues with a AAA record of 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA and by Gabino who is certainly the most overlooked pitcher in the Orioles system.  By the way Gabino is 5-0 with 2 saves and an ERA of 2.42 and for the year opponents are only hitting .216 against him.

Armando Gabino (5-0, S2, 2.42 ERA) has been the most overlooked pitcher in the Orioles system this year

From where I was I could see the scouts in attendance taking copious notes and paying a lot of attention to both Britton and Gabino. Britton also showed that he sees the entire picture when in the 7th inning following a Josh Rodriguez double created a fielder’s choice which got Rodriguez at 3rd base after a rundown.  The other part of the play after getting the rundown in motion Britton was backing up third base at the end of the play.  Rodriguez was the only Clippers hitter to reach second base and with his elimination the only Clippers threat ended.  The Clippers scattered only 6 hits in the game and received only one walk.

Robert Andino hit his 10th home run and second in the past two days on Saturday

The Tides scored early and while only producing 7 hits were very effective in run production.  Robert Andino hit his 10th home run and second home run in two days in the bottom of the 1st inning.  Michael Aubrey got his 8th home run in the bottom of the 2nd inning.  In the bottom of the 3rd inning Matt Angle reached on an infield single and advanced to 2nd base on a throwing error by Clippers 2nd Baseman Cord Phelps. He went to 3rd base on a Robert Andino single and scored on a sacrifice fly to the right field warning track by Jeff Salazar.   The Tides added a 4th run courtesy of Michael Aubrey who hit his 9th home run and 3rd in the past two days in the bottom of the 4th.

Defensively the Tides played a very solid game committing no errors and turning 3 double plays.

Michael Aubrey “high 5’s” Joey Gathright following his second home run of the evening and third in the past two days

Clippers starting pitcher Josh Tomlin (8-4 2.66 ERA) took the loss giving up 4 runs on 6 hits, three of which were home runs.  Interestingly enough Tomlin has only given up 11 home runs while facing 368 batters in 101 innings. However he has faced Michael Aubrey 5 times this season and given up 3 hits all of the home runs.  I think that Aubrey has Tomlin’s number.  Zack Britton (1-1 1.50 ERA) got the win for the Tides dominating the very powerful Clippers offense.  Armando Gabino (5-0 SV-2 2.42 ERA) picked up his 2nd save showing that he can effectively close games as well as start them or pitch solidly in the middle innings.

In all the Clippers had no runs on 6 hits with 1 error leaving four runners on base while the Tides had 4 runs on 7 hits with no errors stranding 3 runners.  The teams close out this series Sunday at 6:15 with Zack Clark (0-4 5.06 ERA) starting for the Tides against the Clippers David Huff (3-0 4.15 ERA).  The Tides can split their season series of 8 games with the Clippers with a win on Sunday.

Peace

Padre Steve+

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July 17, 2010 · 18:37

Offensive Barrage at Harbor Park: Tides Outlast Clippers 12-9

Michael Aubrey homers in the bottom of the 2nd

On a very hot and humid evening the Norfolk Tides and Columbus Clippers met for the second game of what is a critical series for both teams.  The Tides are hoping to start making up ground in the International League Southern division and working their way back into contention. The Clippers face the situation of making sure that they remain on top of the Western division of the IL.  The Clippers had taken game one of the series by a score of 6-1 on Thursday night behind an outstanding pitching performance by Carlos Carrasco. Despite the weather conditions which were just as miserable as were Thursday’s game it appeared as though two completely different teams had taken the field.  The game was high scoring and pitchers melted in the heat and withered under the offensive barrage of their opponent.  In fact with the exception of the 9th inning runs were scored in each inning of the game.  It seemed that no matter what a pitcher did the result was going to be a hit or walk as there were 31 hits and 12 walks in the game.

The game was one of the most offensively offensive this year at Harbor Park as the teams scored a combined 21 runs had 32 hits and committed 5 errors.  Additionally the pitchers walked 11 and hit 1 with a pitch.  The teams left 23 men on base 16 in scoring position with 2 outs.  Pitchers threw 343 pitches in the game which lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Rhyne Hughes hits one of his two doubles

The game was a see-saw affair.  Columbus got on the board first in the top of the 1st inning with back to back home runs by Jordan Brown and Jared Goedert. The Tides answered in the bottom of the 2nd with 3 runs of their own on a Michael Aubrey double and Rhyne Hughes single as well as 2 Columbus errors and a hit batsman.  The Tides took the lead in the bottom of the 3rd on Robert Andino’s 9th home run to lead off the inning.  The Clippers regained the lead in the top of the 4th inning when Josh Rodriguez hit a single to drive in two runners with 2 outs.  In the bottom half of 4th Paco Figueroa doubled to lead off the inning but was left stranded on 3rd.

In the top half of the 5th inning Columbus seemed to take control, at least for a half an inning as they scored two more runs off Tides starter Troy Patton. Nick Weglarz doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Cord Phelps and following a walk issued to Lou Marson Patton was pulled from the game replaced by Pat Egan who gave up a single to Ezequiel Carrera before getting out of the inning. With the score now 7-4 it looked as if the Tides were on their way to yet another loss. However this was not to be so. In the bottom of the 5th the Tides struck back on a Rhyne Hughes double which scored Jeff Salazar and Michael Aubrey’s 7th home run of the season a two run blast which tied the game yet again.  The Tides took the lead in the bottom of the 6th using some “small ball” scoring 2 runs on 2 singles a walk and a wild pitch.

Jeff Salazar gets a RBI single

But the Clippers were not done scoring 2 in the top of the 7th to tie the game.  It looked like the game would go into the 8th tied but the Tides mounted a 2 out blitz to score two more runs when Blake Davis walked and went to 2nd base on a Matt Angle single. Robert Andino walked to load the bases and Jeff Salazar singled to score Davis and Angle. They would add an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th inning when Rhyne Hughes clubbed his second double of the game and scored on a single by Paco Figueroa.  Denis Sarfate would come on in the 9th for the save ending the inning with an epic 13 pitch battle with Columbus slugger Jared Goedert.

In all the Clippers had 9 runs on 16 hits committing 3 errors and leaving 13 men on base while the Tides had 12 runs on 16 hits and 2 errors leaving 10 stranded.  Neither starter figured in the decision reliever Jim Hoey (1-0 0.0 ERA) making his first appearance in relief for the Tides this year got the win going 1.1 innings giving up a hit but no runs and Denis Sarfate notched his 12th save of the campaign.  Jeremy Sowers took the loss giving up 4 runs on 4 hits with 3 walks in 1.2 innings of relief.

The teams meet tonight amid scatter rain showers which could delay the game with Zack Britton (0-1 2.53 ERA) on the hill for the Tides against Columbus right-hander Josh Tomlin (8-3 2.58) who has the third best record in the International League.

Well I’m off to the game.

Blessings

Padre Steve+

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July 13, 2010 · 01:47

All Star Break Norfolk Tides Wrap Up

Armando Gabino has been an excellent spot starter and middle reliever for the Tides on Sunday he picked up his 5th win against the powerful Durham Bulls

The Norfolk Tides played the Durham Bulls much better in the friendly confines of Harbor Park than they did in Durham last week splitting a pair where they could easily have won both games.  On Saturday the Bulls and Tides played a very even game that had both teams with 12 hits the difference being a 3 run 5th inning where the Bulls had three consecutive singles to load the bases on Tides starter Chris George and despite a double play would manufacture 3 runs against George.  The Tides did not help their own causes despite the number of hits given up by Durham pitchers leaving the bases loaded in the 1st, 3rd and 5th innings.  In all the Tides would strand 14 runners, 9 in scoring position with two outs mostly because the bottom third of the batting order which had recently getting very clutch hits went 2 for 12 with two walks, both hits coming from the bat of Blake Davis.  In addition to Davis Matt Angle, Jeff Salazar and Nolan Reimold all had multiple hit games with Reimold connecting on his 6th home run, a solo shot in the 7th inning off of Bulls reliever Michael Eckstrom.

Andy Mitchell did an excellent job in middle relief in a losing effort Saturday night

A tide pitching with the exception of the 5th inning was very good and even in the 5th inning it was a successive collection of quirky hits that got Chris George in trouble.  George (4-4 4.36 ERA) got the loss going 4.2 innings giving up 4 runs on 8 hits walking 1 and striking out 4. Andy Mitchell gave up 1 run on 4 hits in 3.1 innings of work.  Mitchell needs to be given credit; he has come in on a number of occasions this year and pitched 3-5 innings of solid relief which has saved some of the other members of the bullpen from being used up after multiple games of relief.  Andy has made the transition from starting pitcher to reliever and continues to improve. He is not young anymore but in the right spots he has what it takes to be the man to stand in the gap so to speak to give his team mates in the bullpen badly needed rest.

Robert Andino singles in the 3rd inning on Sunday against Durham

The Bulls as I said had 12 hits with several players having multiple hit games. Among them was Angel Chavez who went 2-4 with 2 RBIs and Joe Dillon who also went 2-4 with two doubles, one each of George and Mitchell and 1 RBI.  Apart from Dillon the Tides pitchers allowed no other extra base hits to the very powerful Bulls offense.  Michael Eckstrom (4-1 2.61 ERA) got the win in relief for the Bulls and Winston Abreu got his 11th save of the campaign.  The Bulls had 5 runs on 12 hits and no errors leaving 9 men stranded.  The Tides had 3 runs on 12 hits with 1 error leaving 14 men on base.

Matt Angle scores a key run in the 7th inning

On Sunday Armando Gabino made a spot start for the Tides as Bobby Dickerson juggled his pitching staff with the departure of Chris Tillman to Baltimore and Chris George and Andy Mitchell both added back to the Tides roster.  Gabino has been very effective both as a middle reliever where he began the year as well as in spot starts and was so again going 6.1 innings giving up no runs and only 3 hits striking out 4 and walking none.  Alberto Castillo pitched an inning of scoreless relief but Pat Egan who game in with 1 out in the top of the 8th was crushed by a hit starved Durham lineup giving up 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk, one of the hits being a 3 run home run by Justin Ruggiano and a ground rule double to Dan Johnson with 1 out in the top of the 9th.  Denis Sarfate came in to get the last two outs, a double play to end the inning and the game.

Chris Tillman and Jake Arietta both won against the Rangers this weekend


Alfredo Simon went from Tides Starter to Orioles Closer

Tides hitters had 8 hits and a walk with the damage to Bulls pitching coming in the bottom of the 3rd inning and bottom of the 7th inning using small ball, a collection of 3 singles, a walk and a couple of fielder’s choice situations which netted the Tides runs.  In the bottom of the 7th it was a leadoff double by Blake Davis as well as singles by Matt Angle and Robert Andino to score two more runs without which Durham may have just won the game despite the pitching of Gabino.  Gabino held the Bulls down but once again the Bulls showed just how good that they are in the 9th inning rally that came close to stealing the game from the Tides.

Gabino got the win and Denis Sarfate got his 11th save of the season.  Bulls starter Carlos Hernandez (6-5 4.09 ERA) took the loss.  The Bulls had 4 runs on 7 hits with no errors leaving 2 aboard. The Tides had 5 runs on 8 hits and no errors leaving 4 runners stranded.

The Tides will not play again until Thursday when the teams return to action following the AAA All-Star Game break; the All-Star game will be played at Coca Cola Field in Allentown PA, the home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs with Jeff Salazar on the roster for the Tides.  Chris Tillman was also named to the squad but was removed following his call up to Baltimore.

The Tides go into the break with a record of 42 wins and 50 losses in last place in the International League South. They are half a game behind the Gwinnett Braves who are 42-49 and 5 games behind Charlotte who have a record of 45-47.  Right now no one is contending with Durham, the Bull’s leading not only the Southern Division but the International League with a record of 55 wins and 35 losses.  The biggest challenge will be consistence and experience for the Tides as the Orioles still with many injuries to key players will continue to rely on the Tides for replacements the remainder of the season.  However, the Orioles are starting to look better being 12 and 12 since June 15th sweeping a four game set with the Western Division leading Texas Rangers in Arlington in the series prior to the break and it is possible that they could finish the season, even if a losing one with a measure of respectability as the team seems to be coming together with a lot of great performances by former Tides Corey Patterson, Jason Berken and Alfredo Simon.  Additionally Chris Tillman and Jake Arietta both had excellent starts in against Texas having back to back wins for the first time since they played for the Tides.

Tomorrow a look at the Major Leagues as I analyze the first half of the season and prognosticate about the second half that begins after the All-Star break including my post season picks. I have never tried to pick this far out so we will see how good I am.  Don’t forget my record in the 2009 playoffs and World’s Series was pretty impressive, especially my game by game World Series predictions.

Peace, Padre Steve+

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July 10, 2010 · 11:15

Tides Dumped 7-2 by Bulls but Patterson and Simon Shine for O’s in Comeback Win against Rangers

Jim Miller continued to show composure under pressure in sending down the heart of the Bulls order in the 6th inning

The Norfolk Tides lost their second straight to division leading Durham who are by the way the best team in the International League as well as the division leader.  The Bulls defeated the Tides by a score of 7-2 on a hot and humid Friday night in Durham.  The Tides were held scoreless by Bulls starter Virgil Vasquez (4-0 3.55 ERA) and middle reliever Dale Thayer for 8 innings.  During those first 8 innings the Tides had 8 hits and loaded the bases in the 7th inning but failed to score.

Chris Tillman was recalled to the Orioles and will start against the Rangers tonight

While Bulls pitchers closed down the Tides offense the Bulls worked over Tides starter Tim Bascom (2-3 5.87 ERA) who gave up 5 runs, 4 of which were earned on 7 hits in 4.1 innings work.  Jim Miller came on in middle relief and got the Tides out of the 5th inning and then got in early trouble in the 6th but after giving up a run and having 2 men on base struck out Tides killers Elliott Johnson and Justin Ruggiano finishing the inning by getting Dan Johnson to fly out.  It was a case of Miller keeping his composure against the Durham offense which leads the league in hitting despite getting in trouble. Though he gave up a run the performance shows that Miller is on his way to becoming an excellent all round relief pitcher that can pitch in any situation.  Pat Egan also gave up a run while Armando Gabino closed out the Bulls in the 8th when they were threatening again.

With the score 7-0 in the top of the 9th it appeared that the Tides were on their way to being shut out and sent home, but they did not quit and got a rally of sorts going as Paco Figueroa and Blake Davis had back to back home runs off of Bulls reliever Darin Downs and had a runner on base before Robert Andino grounded out to end the game.

The game was not the best for the Tides in fact the failure to score early and Bascom’s lack of success being clearly overmatched by the Bulls’ offense ensured that they would not win this game. On the positive side the performance of Jim Miller who despite getting in trouble in the top of the 6th was able to keep his composure and mow down the heart of the Bulls order was a positive take away as were the two home runs by Figueroa and Davis in the 9th inning.

Alfredo Simon notched his 12th save following Corey Patterson’s Grand Slam in the 9th and Jake Fox’s solo shot in the 10th in the O’s comeback win against the Rangers on Friday Night

Tonight the teams meet again this time in the friendly confines of Harbor Park with Brian Baker (7-0 2.50 ERA) taking the hill for the Bulls against a yet unannounced Tides starter. Chris Tillman who was the scheduled starter was recalled by the Orioles and it would be my guess that either Chris George or Andy Mitchell could be brought back to the team or that Armando Gabino could reprise his starting role where he had success the last time that Tillman was called up by the O’s.

Speaking of the Orioles for the second night in a row they had a 9th inning comeback and stunned the powerful Texas Rangers.  Last night behind by a score of 6-2 the Orioles loaded the bases and with two outs former Tides outfielder Corey Patterson went yard against one of the best closers in the league, All-Star rookie closer Neftali Feliz for a grand slam home run which tied the game. In the 10th Jake Fox newly acquired from the Athletics in a deal which sent Tides reliever Ross Wolf to the A’s homered to give the Tides the lead and former Tides starter and now Orioles closer Alfredo Simon came in to send the Rangers down in order for his 12th save of the year. Jason Berken (2-0 2.01 ERA) got the win for the O’s. Chris Tillman will start for the O’s tonight in Arlington and we hope that he will get his first Major League win of the year against the Rangers after pitching so well for the Tides.  The Orioles are evaluating catcher Matt Wieters and outfielder Felix Pie after both incurred injuries in the game. If one or both end up on the DL Josh Bell will likely remain in Baltimore instead of returning to Norfolk and conceivably outfielder Jeff Salazar could be called up to fill in for Pie.

With the Tides back in town yours truly will be at the Church of Baseball, Harbor Park Parish to be there to record the action and enjoy the game.

Peace

Padre Steve+

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July 5, 2010 · 12:34

Tides Rip Knights in Charlotte 8-2 as Hitters Provide the Fireworks while Pitchers Shine

Chris George picked up his 4th win giving up just 4 hits in 7 innings work

The Tides went back on the road to continue an eight game series with the Charlotte Knights following their 7-6 walk off win on Saturday night.  On a warm but comfortable Carolina evening with over 15,000 in attendance the Tides hitters pounded the Knight’s pitching staff and starter Chris George and reliever Armando Gabino shut down the Knights’ offense.

Chris George started the game and was in the zone pitching 7 innings allowing just 4 hits and a run while striking out 5 and walking only one.  Armando Gabino came on for the 8th and 9th innings and was back in form allowing two hits and a run while striking out two.

Robert Andino hit his 8th home run in the 9th inning

The Tides got on the board first in the top of the 2nd inning on a home run by Rhyne Hughes with no one on base; Blake Davis followed with a double but was left stranded when Michel Hernandez grounded out.  In the 3rd inning the Tides struck again. Paco Figueroa walked and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Matt Angle and would score on a 2 out single by Jeff Salazar.  In the 4th inning the Tides picked up another run. Nolan Reimold walked and was put out at second on a force out when Rhyne Hughes grounded to First Baseman Josh Kroeger.  Blake Davis then came to the plate hit his second double in as many at bats to right field scoring Hughes from 1st base.

Michael Aubrey delivered a 3 run home run in the 5th inning

After holding the Knights scores in the 4th inning the Tides blew the game open in the 5th. Matt Angle tripled and Robert Andino walked.  Jeff Salazar grounded out to score Angle and send Andino to second.  This brought Michael Aubrey to the plate and Aubrey took Lucas Harrell’s first pitch and put it over the right field wall to make the score 6-0.  The Knights picked up a run on a leadoff homer by Stefan Gartrell but Chris George got the next three Knights in order striking out two.

Rhyne Hughes homered in the 2nd inning

Charlotte relievers held the Tides scoreless in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings while the Knights picked up their second and final run when Robert Hudson doubled and scored on a fielding error by Tides First Baseman Nolan Reimold.  In the 9th inning the Tides added two insurance runs when Paco Figueroa and Robert Andino homered putting the ball over the Center Field wall.  Gabino closed out the Knights in the 9th inning and the Tides walked away with an 8-2 win.

Blake Davis doubled twice

Chris George (4-3 4.16 ERA) got the win for the Tides while Knight’s starter Lucas Harrell (6-8 4.39 ERA) got the loss. The Tides had 8 runs on 9 hits, 7 of which went for extra bases including home runs by Hughes, Aubrey and Andino.  The Tides committed 2 errors, one of which allowed a Charlotte run and left 5 men on base.  The Knights mustered 2 runs on 6 hits committed no errors and left 5 runners on base.  The teams will meet today with Chris Tillman (7-4 3.07 ERA) taking the hill for the Tides against Knight’s ace Daniel Hudson (11-3 3.57 ERA).

Peace

Padre Steve+

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July 4, 2010 · 20:52

Tides Win 7-6 in Walk-off Fashion

Tides Reliever Jim Miller provided the Tides with the Opportunity to Win on Saturday Night at Harbor Park

The Norfolk Tides under the management of Bobby Dickerson have become a much more competitive team than under Gary Allenson and this was nowhere more in display than last night where after dropping three of the last four games to the Knights the Tides pulled victory from the jaws of defeat by coming back and then holding the Knights before having to pull out a victory in the 9th inning.

Paco Figueroa slides in safe at home in the 2nd Inning

Tim Bascom started the game for the Tides but got into trouble in each of the second, third and fourth innings. Bascom would only pitch 3.2 innings giving up 5 runs on 7 hits including a 2 run home run by Josh Kroeger along with 2 walks and a hit batsman before being pulled by Bobby Dickerson with two outs in the top of the 4th inning.  Dickerson made the right move putting in Jim Miller who had pitched a one-two-three 9th inning on Friday. Miller entered the game with two on and two out and got Josh Kroeger to fly out.  Miller pitched two more innings of scoreless relief getting out of a bases loaded and one out situation in the top of the 5th inning before sending the Knights down in order in the 6th. In fact in my opinion it was the switch to Miller and Miller’s gutsy performance that put the Tides in position to be able to win the game.

Robert Andino beginning his slide to score a run in the 7th inning

Miller was followed in the 7th inning by Pat Egan who also ran into trou8ble but was able to pitch his way out of it and Alberto Castillo who did the same in the 8th inning.

While the relief corps bent but didn’t break the Tides offense chipped away at the Charlotte lead. The Tides scored two in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Rhyne Hughes walked and was driven home by a Paco Figueroa double. Figueroa scored on a Blake Davis single.  The Tides scored again in the bottom of the 4th and once again it was the Hughes-Figueroa and Davis combination that plated the run.  Hughes singed and was sacrificed to 2nd base on a bunt by Figueroa.  Hughes then scored on Davis’ second RBI single.  The Tides scored again in the bottom of the 5th to narrow the margin to 5-4. Matt Angle singled and moved to second on a Robert Andino single. The next batter was AAA All-Star bound Jeff Salazar who plated Angle with another single.

Nolan Reimold provided the game winning hit with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th

In the bottom of the 7th inning the Tides took the lead on a combination of good hitting and two errors in one play by the Knights.  Matt Angle walked to lead off the inning and moved to second as Robert Andino collected another single.  Jeff Salazar popped up for the first out and was followed by Nolan Reimold who walked to load the bases.  Then in what proved to be a mistake that would haunt the Knights Rhyne Hughes grounded to first base and First Baseman Josh Kroeger threw to Shortstop Robert Hudson for the force out at second. Then Hudson trying to get the double play and threw the ball away. Angle scored to tie the game but then for Charlotte the unthinkable happened, Josh Kroeger got to the ball and threw to the plate to attempt to get Andino who was driving for home. Kroeger’s throw went awry and Andino scored to give the Tides a 6-5 lead.

Neither side scored during the 8th inning. In the 9th inning closer Denis Sarfate took the hill for the Tides to try to get the save.  Sarfate who until late was lights out in relief, especially when closing had blown the save and lost Thursday’s game had control trouble and never really looked comfortable. He walked Donny Lucy and Lucy advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Brent Morrel. Robert Hudson doubled to score Lucy before Sarfate after a meeting on the mound with Bobby Dickerson struck out Alejando De Aza and got Fernando Cortez to ground out to end the inning.

The teams went to the bottom of the 9th knotted at six runs apiece and it looked like that Charlotte reliever Clevlan Santiliz would get the game into extra innings. Santiliz had come into the game in the 8th and sent the first five Tides that he faced down in order to include 5 strikeouts. However with 2 outs Jeff Salazar walked giving the Tides a glimmer of hope.  At this point Nolan Reimold who had not had a good game offensively stepped into the batter’s box to face the Charlotte reliever.  Reimold slammed a drive down the right field line into the corner which eluded Charlotte Right Fielder Stefan Gartrell.  Salazar running all the way scored easily from 1st base and in doing so brought the victory to the Tides.

Santiliz (0-4 5.97 ERA) got the loss while Denis Sarfate (1-1 4.25 ERA) despite blowing the save got the win for the Tides.  The Knights had 6 runs on 13 hits but committed the two critical errors in the 7th inning and left 14 men on base.  The Tides had 7 runs on 10 hits with no errors stranding 7 runners.  The teams meet again tonight in Charlotte with left hander Chris George (3-3 4.44 ERA) taking the hill for the Tides against Knight’s right-hander Lucas Harrell (6-7 4.04 ERA).  The Tides will be on the road this week in Charlotte and Gwinnett before returning for two games with the Braves prior to the AAA All-Star break.

In Boston today the Orioles behind the pitching of Brian Matusz who went 7 innings allowing only 2 hits and a strong offensive performance defeated the Red Sox at Fenway Park by a score of 6-1 after having been beaten in the first two games of the weekend series.

Peace and Happy Independence Day,

Padre Steve+

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July 3, 2010 · 14:12

Tides Honor the Negro Leagues but Lose to Charlotte 2-1 in Pitcher’s Duel

Sam Allen, Thomas Burt and Levi “Champie” Drew unveil the New Negro League Commemorative Stamp

It was another beautiful night for a ball game at the Church of Baseball Harbor Park Parish as 8483 fans gathered to see th3e Charlotte Knights take on the Norfolk Tides.  It was a special night as the Tides honored the Negro Leagues with the unveiling of the new US Postal Service Commemorative Negro League stamp set and with each team wearing replica Negro League uniforms representing the great teams that played in the historic leagues which did so much to help the cause of racial equality in the United States. On hand were Hampton Roads natives and former Negro League players including the great Sam Allen as well as Thomas Burt, Levi “Champie” Drew and Chester Moody. The stamp set which is two 44 cent stamps that when together honor the league as well as Andrew “Rube Foster the founder of the Negro National League and black baseball’s most influential personality who organized the first professional league in Negro Baseball. In 1920 Foster the owner of the Chicago American Giants decided that the time had arrived for a truly organized and stable Negro league. With Foster at the helm the Negro National League was born in Kansas City in 1920.  The league fielded eight teams many of which remain etched in the minds of modern baseball fans and which pioneered professional baseball and which provided the set for future hall of famers and Negro league greats to achieve national prominence and for some to break the racial barriers of Major League Baseball. The teams, the  Chicago American Giants, Chicago Giants, Cuban Stars, Dayton Marcos, Detroit Stars, Indianapolis ABCs, Kansas City Monarchs and St. Louis Giants survived the end of the first Negro National League in 1931 and remain part of the American baseball scene.

Zack Clark pitched well but took the loss

The game as I said was a pitcher’s duel and hitting on both sides took second place to solid pitching by the starters and the relievers. The Knights scored their two runs in the first inning on a walk, two singles and a sacrifice fly.  The Tides had chances to score during the game. They left Matt Angle at third base with no outs in the bottom of the first and Paco Figueroa died at home when trying to score on a one out ground ball by Robert Andino and Andino was left stranded second and Jeff Salazar at first when Michael Aubrey flied out. In the 9th both Nolan Reimold and Rhyne Hughes hit deep fly balls that died at the warning track both of which appeared would go out of the park before the wind knocked them down.  In the 7th inning the Tides got their one run when Rhyne Hughes doubled and was driven home by a Blake Davis single.

Paco Figueroa is tagged out at home in the 8th inning

Charlotte starter Jeff Marquez (7-4 4.02 ERA) went 7 innings allowing 4 hits and 1 run striking out 4 and waling 1 in picking up the win while Greg Aquino picked up his 9th save despite giving the Knights a scare with the two deep fly balls in the 9th.  Tides starter Zack Clark (0-3 3.06 ERA) picked up the loss but had an impressive performance as did relievers Mike Hinckley, Cla Meredith and Jim Miller. Miller was particularly impressive in the 9th sending the Knights down in order striking out two.

The Knights had 2 runs on 6 hits and committed two errors leaving 7 men on base.  The Tides 1 run on 5 hits with no errors stranding six runners.  Tonight the teams wrap up this part of their series before taking it back to Charlotte with Matt Zeleski (5-5 3.46 ERA) of the Knights going up against Tim Bascom (2-2 4.37 ERA) a game that will feature post-game fireworks in honor of the founding of the United States.

See you there,

Peace

Padre Steve

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