Tag Archives: norfolk tides

June 15, 2010 · 16:43

Tides Sink Clippers 6-3 as Gabino Notches 4th Win

Robert Andino had 3 RBIs in the Tides 6-3 win over Columbus Monday

Well it wasn’t the prettiest win but Armando Gabino gutted out six innings against the Columbus Clippers at Huntington Field on Monday night to notch his fourth win of the season. Gabino showed a lot of fortitude after giving up a leadoff double in the 1st inning to Michael Brantley who scored on a Nick Weglarz single with one out. Gabino got out of that inning and gave up another run in the 2nd inning when Jared Goedert homered to left with 2 outs in the inning.  He gave up doubles in the 3rd, 4th and 6th innings but each time with the pressure on was able to work out of each jam against a very good hitting Clippers lineup.

Armando Gabino picked up his 4th win of the 2010 season

The Tides bats came back to life and with the Tides down 1-0 in the top of the 2nd inning it was Third Baseman Josh Bell that tolled loudly for the Tides as he homered over the right field wall on a 1 and 2 count.  With the Tides down 2-1 in the top of the 4th inning Michael Aubrey doubled and was followed by Bell who also doubled to score Aubrey.  Bell came home on a Nolan Reimold single to give the Tides the lead at 3-2 and on Monday they would not fall behind again. The Tides added to their lead in the 5th inning when Michel Hernandez led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Blake Davis. Matt Angle flied out to deep right which allowed Hernandez to take third base.  Robert Andino came to the plate with two outs and Andino who has been a RBI machine of late singled to score Hernandez to make the lead 4-3 providing the insurance that the Tides would need to seal the deal.

Andy Mitchell made his third middle relief of the series again holding the hard hitting Clippers

Andy Mitchell came into the game in the top of the 7th inning to make his third appearance in three games against the Clippers.  Mitchell struck out Jared Goedert but then gave up consecutive singles to Cord Phelps and Michael Brantley placing runners on first and second with one out.  Seeking a double play ball it appeared that Mitchell would get it when Josh Rodriguez hit the ball back to Mitchell who had trouble with it and then threw wide to second pulling Blake Davis off the bag and loading the bases. With Davis arguing the call at second and Mitchell preparing to join in Tides Manager Bobby Dickerson  came to the mound and helped calm down the normally unflappable Mitchell who then pitched out of the jam getting Nick Weglarz to ground out scoring Phelps and then getting Matt LaPorta to ground out on a 3-1 count.

Josh Bell got his 7th home run of the season as well as an RBI double

With the Tides now leading 4-3 Denis Sarfate came in for a 2 out save attempt.  Sarfate who had 7 saves going into the night allowed a single to Jordan Brown but got Wes Hodges on a double play when he attempted to bunt sacrifice Brown to second.  Sarfate then struck out Lou Marson to end the inning.

In the top of the 9th the Tides offense struck again and once more Robert Andino would be in the mix. Brandon Snyder led off the inning sending a 1-0 pitch by reliever Joe Smith into center field for a single. Michel Hernandez reached on a force attempt on a throwing error by First Baseman Jordan Brown.  Blake Davis sacrificed bunted to advance Snyder to third and Hernandez to second. Smith then intentionally walked Matt Angle to load the bases hoping to create conditions for a double play.  This was not to be as Smith had to face the clutch hitting Robert Andino who on the first pitch singled to left field scoring both Snyder and Hernandez to make the lead 6-3.

Sarfate then faced the Clippers in the bottom of the 9th.  He struck out Jared Goedert for the first out but then walked Cord Phelps.  However the glimmer of hope given to the Clippers was short lived when on a 0-2 count Sarfate got Michael Brantley to ground into a four-six-three double play to end the inning and the game.

The Tides had 6 runs on 10 hits and 2 errors leaving seven runners on base while the Clippers had 3 runs on 9 hits and no errors also stranding seven.  Armando Gabino (4-0 2.62 ERA) got the win for the Tides and Sarfate got his 8th save.  The loss went to Clippers starter Carlos Carrasco (5-3 4.22ERA). Today the teams conclude the series with Tim Bascom (0-1 3.86) making his second AAA appearance for the Tides going up against Jeanmar Gomez (3-7 6.96 ERA).  In San Fransisco former Tides starter Chris Tillman was manhandled by the Giants as the Orioles lost to the Giants 10-2 in interleague play.  The Orioles have lost 17 of their last 18 games with the only win coming on the arm of recently promoted Jake Arietta.

Until next time…

Peace,

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June 15, 2010 · 00:06

Tides Clipped by Clippers 6-2 and 5-4 in Columbus

Michael Aubrey homered in Saturday’s game in Columbus

After taking 3 of 4 from the Gwinnett Braves at home the Norfolk Tides began their first excursion to visit the teams of the Western Division of the International League. They began the trip in Columbus on Saturday  where the Tides faced the Columbus Clippers the AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians who like their parent club are hard hitting team and have the second highest team batting average (.283) in the International League at Huntington Field.

Mike Hinckley was tagged with the loss in relief on Saturday and Sunday

Despite this the Tides and Clippers have not see the kind of fireworks that dominated the first part of the Tides home stand.  On Saturday Troy Patton got the start and pitched 4.1 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits with 5 strikeouts before being pulled for Mike Hinckley.  Hinckley struggled giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and two walks in one inning.  The Clippers added two more runs off Jim Miller who gave up those runs on 3 hits in the bottom of the 7th inning.

The Tides led the game early on 3rd inning home runs by Michael Aubrey and Blake Davis but the game slipped away in the 6th and 7th innings.  Andy Mitchell entered the game in the 8th inning and sent the Clippers down in order but the damage was done and the Tides fell to the Clippers by a score of 6-2 on Saturday evening.  The Tides had 2 runs on 5 hits and gave up no errors stranding 2.  The Clippers had 6 runs on 8 hits and 2 errors leaving 6 men on base.  Justin Germano (2-1 3.46) got the win in relief for the Clippers and Mike Hinckley (0-2 9.64) took the loss for the Tides.

On Sunday the Tides and Clippers played into extra innings.  Brandon Erbe started for the Tides still seeking his first AAA win for the Tides.  Brandon has been pitching well as of late getting the game into the middle to late innings but not getting the win due to errors or blown saves.  Sunday was little different. Erbe sent the first 15 Clippers that he faced down in order before giving up back to back home runs in the bottom of the 6th.  Andy Mitchell relieved Erbe and stopped the Clippers.

Robert Andino continued his clutch hitting

The Tides bats were not idle. In the 3nd inning Matt Angle walked and Robert Andino singled him to third base advancing to second on an errant throw and Angle scored on a ground ball by Rhyne Hughes.  In the 5th they scored again.  Michel Hernandez singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Paco Figueroa.  Matt Angle then singled and sent Hernandez to 3rd.  Robert Andino grounded into a force out scoring Hernandez for the 2nd run.  In the top of the 6th the Tides scored a third run to give Erbe a 3-0 lead when Josh Bell and Nolan Reimold got aboard on walks and Bell scored on a sacrifice fly by Michel Hernandez.

The Tides surrendered the lead in the 7th inning with Cla Meredith on the hill in relief of Mitchell.  Meredith gave up 2 runs after loading the bases with one out.  He would get only two Clippers out and Ross Wolf came in to close out the inning but not before the damage had been done.  Meredith has not been impressive since being optioned to Norfolk and he gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks raising his ERA to a whopping 16.88.  Wolf would pitch the Tides through the 8th and 9th innings as well allowing only a walk in 2.1 innings work lowering his ERA to 2.17.

The Tides tied the game in the top of the 9th.  Paco Figueroa singled but was out at second on a force out by Matt Angle.  Angle then was put out on a force out at second on a ground ball by Robert Andino.  This put the Tides down 4-3 with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. Rhyne Hughes then reached on a fielding error and Andino advanced to second.  This brought up Josh Bell who singled scoring Andino to tie the game.

Ross Wolf continued to make strong relief appearances

With Wolf holding the Clippers tight in the bottom of the 9th the game went into extra innings.  The Paco Figueroa singled with 2 outs but was erased on a force out by Matt Angle.  Mike Hinckley came into the game in the 10th to relieve Wolf who as I said has shut down the Clippers from the 7th inning on.  Jose Constanza got a base hit bunt and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Michael Brantley.  Brian Brixler flied out to right fielder Rhyne Hughes for the 2nd out.  Hinckley then hit Nick Weglarz with a pitch and gave up a walk off single to Matt LaPorta which scored Costanza to end the game.

Norfolk produced 4 runs on 11 hits with 1 error left 12 men on base.  The Clippers had 5 runs on 7 hits and no errors but benefited on getting three walks by Cla Meredith which gave Columbus the lead in the 7th inning and the hit batsman by Hinckley in the 10th.  They left 5 men on base.  Carlton Smith (1-0 6.43) got the win in relief for the Clippers while Hinckley took his second consecutive loss bring his record to 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA since coming up from Bowie.

The Tides and Clippers play tonight in Columbus with Armando Gabino (2-0 2.56) facing Carlos Carrasco (5-2 4.12) on the hill for the Clippers.

On the personnel front the Orioles optioned Brad Bergeson to Norfolk, his second trip down of his troubled season and the Tides placed Kam Mickolio on the 7 Day Disabled List with a strained right shoulder.  I had noticed that in his last two appearances despite pitching well that Kam left one game and been talked to by Bobby Dickerson on the mound in an appearance when he was shutting down Gwinnett.

In other notes Andy Mitchell has appeared in the first two games allowing no runs or hits in either appearance.  Robert Andino now has 36 RBIs on the season to lead the team.

Peace,

Padre Steve+

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June 12, 2010 · 13:41

Tides Top Braves 4-3 on Solid Pitching and Key Home Runs

Chris George provide 6 innings of solid pitching for the Tides

The Norfolk Tides finished their home stand in convincing fashion defeating the Gwinnett Braves by a score of 4-3 on a beautiful night for baseball at the Church of Baseball Harbor Park Parish.  Chris George of the Tides faced off against Jo-Jo Reyes and tonight would belong to the Tides Left hander backed up by solid relief work by Kam Mickolio, Ross Wolf and closer Denis Sarfate.

Brandon Hicks gets himself thrown out of the game in the 2nd inning

The Braves got off to a 1-0 lead in the first inning without a single hit as Chris George initially struggled with control walking Matt Young and Wes Timmons before getting Freddie Freeman to hit into a double play.  Young advanced to third on the play and scored when a balk was called on George.  In the second inning the Braves threatened and were shut down by the Tides and in the process having their Manager Dave Brundage and Brandon Hicks thrown out of the game.  Mitch Jones doubled and advanced to third on a single by Brandon Hicks.  Jordan Schafer reached first when on a fielder’s choice ground ball Tides First Baseman Brandon Snyder alertly saw Jones attempting to score and gunned him down at the plate. Brandon Hicks then with Luis Bolivar batting attempted to steal third and was thrown out by Tides Catcher Michel Hernandez.  This was a close call and Braves Manager Dave Brundage fiercely argued the call with Hicks.  Both were thrown out of the game after a delay of about 5 minutes.  Bolivar then grounded out to end the inning.

J C Boscan attempts to pick off a Tides runner at 2nd base as Matt Angle attempts to get out of the way

In the bottom half of the 2nd inning the Tides struck back with the suddenness of a thunder storm.  Rhyne Hughes reached on a fielding error by Braves First Baseman Freddie Freeman. The next batter, Brandon Snyder then crushed a pitch over the left field wall deep into the left field picnic area.  Michael Aubrey grounded out to Jo-Jo Reyes and it appeared with the bottom part of the Tides lineup coming to bat that he might escape with no more damage.  However that was not the case as Tides Catcher Michel Hernandez lifted a ball to the opposite field send the pitch into the Straub’s Beer right field party deck to make the score 3-1.  In the bottom of the 3rd inning Robert Andino cracked his 17th double of the year with one out and scored on a single by Jeff Salazar. The Braves plated another run in the top of the 4th inning when Mitch Jones scored from 2nd base on a Luis Bolivar single.

Michel Hernandez got his first home run in Norfolk

Kam Mickolio came into the game in the 7th in relief of George and after allowing a single to Luis Bolivar to lead off the inning got J C Boscan to ground into a 5-4-3 double play and then struck out Matt Young on a 96 mile and hour fast ball.  Ross Wolf came into the game in the 8th and working quickly got Wes Timmons and Freddie Freeman to ground out and Barbaro Canizares to pop out to end the inning.  Denis Sarfate came in to close the game and got Mitch Jones to fly out and then on a low and inside off speed pitch saw Joe Thurston who had replaced Hicks when the latter was tossed in the 2nd inning lift the ball just over the right field wall near the foul pole for a solo home run.  Sarfate wasted nothing else and using high hard heat with every pitch in the mid-90’s blew away Alex Romero and Luis Bolivar to end the game.

The Braves had 3 runs on 8 hits and 1 costly error and left 5 men on base.  The Tides had 4 runs on 8 hits and no errors leaving 6 on base.  Chris George (2-1 3.63) got the win and Jo-Jo Reyes (0-4 5.40) took the loss for the Braves.  Denis Sarfate got his 7th save.  Tonight after a long bus ride west the Tides take on the Columbus Clippers, the AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians who lead the International League West.  Troy Patton (4-7 5.13) will take the hill for the Tides facing Josh Tomlin (5-2 2.89).  In personnel news the Orioles outrighted relief pitcher Alberto Castillo to Norfolk in what seems an endless roller coaster for the left hander.  It was announced as well that Bobby Valentine, Padre Steve’s choice for the permanent managerial post for the Orioles since last season interviewed with Peter Angelos and Andy McPhail yesterday.  If you are an Orioles fan you have to hope that Bobby V will join the Orioles after all one can only hope and after all of the suffering with no name managers through most of the decade it is time that we have a marquis manager with a winning attitude and skill working with young talent, and Bobby V fits the bill.

The Tides finished the home stand with a 4 and 4 record which is remarkable if one remembers that the first three games of the series were lost in slugfests to the Buffalo Bisons.  The remarkable thing about the Tides right now is the change that I have seen on the field in the past week. Hitters are more aggressive, the base running is more aggressive, infielders are communicating better, pitchers are challenging hitters and the team is playing as a team with every member in the game even if they are not on the field.  It has been a remarkable sea change and it looks like the Tides are rolling in and might turn into a Tsunami to wreak havoc on the southern division of the International League.

Peace

Padre Steve+

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June 11, 2010 · 15:51

Tides Blanked by Braves as Resop Pitches One Hitter: Arietta Wins ML Debut against Yankees

Tim Bascom pitched well in his AAA Debut in Norfolk

After a hitting frenzy in the first five games of this home stand there have bee two pitcher’s duels at the Church of Baseball, Harbor Park Parish with the second being even more impressive than the first. What had been scheduled as a match up between the two leading pitchers in the International League, Tides right-hander Jake Arietta and Braves right-hander Chris Resop changed when Arietta had his contract selected by the Orioles and at game time in Norfolk was on the mound in Baltimore pitching in his Major League debut against the World Champion New York Yankees.

Frustration at the plate: Nolan Reimold bounces a pitch foul

Instead of this highly anticipated match up the Tides started Tim Bascom who had been called up Thursday from AA Bowie and Bascom performed magnificently in his AAA debut for the Tides.  However it was Resop that stole the show last night pitching to the minimum 27 batters allowing just one hit with eight strikeouts and no walks to shut down a Tides offense that had been running roughshod over opposing pitching most of this home stand.  Bascom went 7 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 6 strikeouts and tendered just one walk.  He would be followed by Jim Miller who pitched well but had problems with his throws to first on two bunts which resulted in errors and allowed runners placed on board by Bascom to score.

Chris Resop was just about perfect in Thursday’s game

There was not much offense for either team. The Tides had just the one hit by Rhyne Hughes which was negated when Braves outfielder Mitch Jones made an incredible defensive play to rob Brandon Snyder of extra bases and then caught Hughes who had passed second base off of first for a double play the Tides were robbed by Jones twice late in the game on sharply hit fly balls that looked as if they would fall for singles or extra base hits.  The Braves got a run in the top of the 3rd inning which Elliott the Usher and I both felt should not have happened had Left Fielder Nolan Reimold caught what appeared to be a very catchable fly ball off the bat of Matt Young. Reimold did not make the play and one has to wonder what is going on with last year’s hot rookie.  Reimold has struggled with injury to his heel and I wonder if he is still having problems with it or if there is something going on in his life that is hurting his game.  Anyway, Young would score on a sacrifice fly by Freddie Freeman and the score would remain 1-0 until the 8th inning.  In the 8th Bascom who had not allowed a run or for that matter not much else gave up an infield single to J C Boscan and an infield single to Matt Young.  Reliever Jim Miller came into the game with two on and no outs and faced Wes Timmons.  Timmons also bunted a beauty; Miller did a great job getting to the ball but hurried his throw which got past First Baseman Brandon Snyder allowing Boscan to score and Young to advance to third base.  Freddie Freeman then hit a sacrifice fly which scored Young. Miller picked off Timmons and retired Mitch Jones to end the inning.  The Braves got an insurance run in the 9th when Joe Thurston bunted and for the second time Miller fielded the ball well but his throw went awry allowing Thurston on base.   Jordan Schafer then bunted sharply past the mound and Robert Andino made a great play to get Schafer but Thurston was running hard for third.  Brandon Snyder saw this and made a strong throw to third which had it been on target would have nailed Thurston, but the throw went high over the head of Paco Figueroa and Thurston scored.  Victimed by three errors in two innings the Tides lost 4-0.Chris Resop (5-2 1.84) got the win and Tim Bascom (0-1 3.86) got the loss.  The Tides had no runs on one hit and three errors and left no men on base.  The Braves had 4 runs on 8 hits and no errors leaving 6 men on base.  The teams will conclude their series tonight at Harbor Park with Jo-Jo Reyes (0-3 5.94) on the hill for the Braves facing Chris George (1-1  3.71)

Jake Arietta notched his first Major League win against the Yankees in Baltimore Thursday

In Baltimore Jake Arietta was the story pitching 6 innings and getting his first Major League win against the New York Yankees by a score of 4-3 with some help by some of his Norfolk Tides team mates.  Scott Moore who went to Baltimore last month from the Tides who hit his first Major League home run, Frank Mata came in to shut down the Yankees in the 7th and David Hernandez notched his first Major League save as the closer.  The O’s broke a 10 game losing streak against the Yankees with the win.

See you tonight at Harbor Park,

Peace,

Padre Steve+

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June 10, 2010 · 18:31

Tides Win Pitcher’s Duel: Hughes Powers Offense

Rhyne Hughes leaving the batters box as he hits his 4th inning home run

The Church of Baseball, Harbor Park Parish has seen its share of slugfests this home stand in which Norfolk and their opponents scored a combined 80 runs saw instead a pitcher’s duel as the Tides defeated the Braves 3-1.  The story for the Tides on a sultry humid Tidewater Wednesday night  was pitching which had been problematic over the home stand with only Troy Patton’s 3 hit blanking of the Buffalo Bisons on Monday being a notable pitching performance. That changed Wednesday night as Armando Gabino, Mike Hinckley, Ross Wolf and Denis Sarfate combined to pitch a 7 hit game giving up only one run to the Gwinnett Braves.

Armando Gabino got his 3rd win of the 2010 campaign

Scoring was sparse last night and there were no crooked numbers on the scoreboard.  In the bottom of the 2nd inning Rhyne Hughes tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Michael Aubrey.  The Tides scored again in the bottom of the 4th inning thanks to Hughes who belted a solo shot over the right field wall.  The Braves got a run in the top of the 5th inning when after retiring the first two batters Gabino hit Braves catcher Clint Sammons with a pitch.  Sammons stole second base and went to third on a single by Matt Young.  Sammons scored on the next at bat when Wes Timmons singed before Feddie Freeman struck out to end the inning.  The Tides final run came in the bottom half of the inning. Michel Hernandez reached on a throwing error by Braves shortstop Brandon Hicks.  Blake Davis grounded into a force out with Hernandez being put out a second base.  Matt Angle grounded out to first base and Davis advanced to second.  Robert Andino who had 5 RBIs in Tuesday’s game then singled to score Davis.  Neither team would score again.

The Braves had 1 run on 7 hits and an error the Tides 3 ruins on 6 hits and no errors.  Armando Gabino (3-0 2.56 ERA) got the win, Denis Sarfate got his 6th save of the year and Tim Gustafson (5-4 5.40 ERA) took the loss for the Braves.  The teams meet tonight at Harbor Park where Tim Bascom making his AAA debut for the Tides will face Chris Resop (4-2 2.10).

See you there.

Padre Steve+

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June 9, 2010 · 15:53

Another Slugfest at Harbor Park: Tides Defeat Braves 10-9

Robert Andino hits a three run home run in the bottom of the 3rd inning

The Norfolk Tides offense has come alive in a big way since returning to the Church of Baseball, Harbor Park Parish last Friday.  In the five games since their return they have scored 37 runs on 68 hits by far their most productive performance of the season and maybe the past few years.  The Tides are playing like a team with a real sense of purpose now when the team is at bat those in the dugout are up at the dugout railing and have their mind on the game and this is something that I cannot remember seeing in my time attending Tides games.  The even in the games that they have lost in this home stand the offense has scored enough runs to win most any well pitched game. Unfortunately the Tides pitchers have been knocked around a bit but tonight despite falling behind 5-0 in the first inning this now potent offense went to work and produced in a big way led by plucky shortstop Robert Andino.

Robert Andino Doubles down the left field line in the 5th inning to tie the game at 5-5

Tides starter Brandon Erbe got hit hard in the 1st inning giving up 5 runs to the Braves and it looked like that Brandon was not long for the game. However after a visit to the mound by Tides Interim Manager Bobby Dickerson he got himself settled down and completed 5 innings being pulled from the game in the 6th inning after facing one batter.  Jim Miller shut down the Braves in the 6th but in the 7th inning gave up 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk which at that point tied the game.

Josh Bell connects

The Tides as I said were hit hard in the 1st inning and the silence of the Tides fans was deafening it was as if gloom was descending on our fair stadium.  The people who sat next to me in my pew in section 102 began to quietly say that the game was over and that there was no hope.  Having seen the Tides come back from worse deficits this week I told them not to count the Tides out and Padre Steve got it right.  There was something that I could sense in the air that told me that the Tides hitters would not meekly walk away from this scrum and I was right.  Brandon Snyder as he has a number of times this week ignited the Tides offense doubling to drive in Josh Bell with two outs in the bottom of the 2nd inning.  In the 3rd inning Robert Andino hit a three run homer over the left field wall to bring the Tides to within one run.  In the 5th inning the Tides struck again this time with enough force to go ahead of the Braves as the Tides tied together doubles by Paco Figueroa and Robert Andino and a single by Josh Bell.

In the bottom frame of the 6th the Tides scored three more runs when they put together hits with two costly Braves errors to make the score 9-5.  Of course as I mentioned earlier the Braves scored four runs in the top of the 7th however Kam Mickolio after surrendering the hits that plated the batters left aboard by Miller shut the Braves down in the 8th.  In the bottom of the 8th Blake Davis pinch hitting for Paco Figueroa walked with 1 out. He went to third on a single by Matt Angle and scored on a sacrifice fly in foul territory by Robert Andino.  Andino finished the game with a home run, double and 5 RBIs a stellar performance for the Tides Shortstop. Brandon Snyder, Matt Angle and Josh Bell all came up with big hits as the Tides offense continued its romp over opposing pitchers.

Blake Davis avoids the tag at home on Robert Andino’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8th

Denis Sarfate pitched the 9th to close the game striking out Wes Timmons, Freddie Freeman and Barbaro Canizares in order to gain his 5th save of the season.  Kam Mickolio got a blown save and the win and Brandon Erbe came out with a no-decision after coming back from that disastrous 1st inning to keep the game close until the relief pitchers were ready to come out to save the game.  The “unsave” was unfortunate as many of us in the stands were rooting, hoping and praying for Brandon to get his first win of the season.

The Braves had 9 runs on 12 hits and 3 errors stranding 4 while the Tides had 10 runs on 11 hits and 1 error leaving 5 men on base to grab the win.  Kam Mickolio was the winning pitcher and Corey Gearrin (0-3 4.02 ERA) took the loss.  The teams meet tonight at Harbor Park with Armando Gabino (2-0, 2.73 ERA) scheduled to take the mound for Norfolk against Braves right-hander Tim Gustafson (5-3 5.74 ERA )  See you there.

Peace

Padre Steve+

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June 7, 2010 · 22:07

Tides Shutout Bisons 6-0: Troy Patton Pitches 7 Scoreless Innings for Win

Troy Patton dominated the potent bats of the Buffalo Bisons Monday

The Norfolk Tides bats remained on fire even as the temperature cooled into the mid 70s in Hampton Roads and today both the defense and the pitching showed up.  After losing five straight to include three high scoring games where the Tides offense produced enough runs to win each handily had pitching, defense or calls by umpires gone their way.  But this Monday was another day and Troy Patton had the answer on to how to shut down the potent offense of the Buffalo Bisons and I do hope that he starts telling other pitchers just how to do this as he went seven innings giving up just three hits with only one walk and three strikeouts to gain the victory.  Patton was aided by Ross Wolf and Mike Hinckley who pitched the 8th and 9th innings without surrendering a hit.

Jeff Salazar hit his 9th home run of the season in the 6th inning

After watching many games where the hitting showed up and the pitching did not, or the pitching showed up only to have the offense go into a coma or the defense to fail it was good to see a game where the fundamentals of the ball game, pitching, hitting and defense came together as the Tides shut down the Bisons 6-0.

Patton surrendered only 3 hits, a double in the second inning and two singles while walking only one in a dominant performance against the hottest hitting team in the International League. The Tides offense continued its strong performance since the arrival of interim manager Bobby Dickerson.  The Tides opened up on the Bisons in the bottom of the 3rd inning when catcher Adam Donachie led off the inning with a double and scored on a single by Matt Angle.  Robert Andino tripled to drive in Angle and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Salazar.  They added two more in the bottom of the 6th inning when Jeff Salazar hit his 9th dinger of the season and Rhyne Hughes launched his 4th of the season both of which were solo shots to make the score 5-0.  The Tides added a final run in the bottom of the 8th when Josh Bell doubled and advanced to third when Rhyne Hughes singled and scored on reliever Michael O’Connor’s wild pitch, the second time that “Wild Thing” O’Connor allowed a run to score at Harbor Park during this home stand but at least he did not bounce it over the screen behind home plate this time….he’s improving.

Rhyne Hughes also homered for the Tides in the 6th inning

The game ended with the Tides winning by a score of 6-0. The Bisons had no runs on 3 hits and one error and left 5 men on base. The Tides 6 runs on 10 hits and no errors leaving four men aboard. Bobby Livingston (2-6 4.43 ERA) got the loss for the Bisons and Troy Patton (4-7 5.13 ERA) got the win for the Tides. Troy had his excellent performance backed up with great run support as well as solid defense to get the well deserved win.

During the series the Tides scored 27 runs on 57 hits including 6 home runs by far their most productive series of the year and a series where for the first time this season they showed consistency on offense over a sustained period and not just a game or two.  Since little has changed in the aspect of Tides offensive personnel with the exception of the addition of Matt Angle and Paco Figueroa but now for the first time that I can remember this season the Tides hitters are hitting with power as well as making contact.  Though it does not seem like much the Tides team batting average has improved from .234 on May 18th to .243 today in fact going up more in the past 4 days than the previous two weeks. While it is still early the only explanation that I can see for this turnaround is Interim Manager Bobby Dickerson.

The Tides open a series against the Gwinnett Braves at Harbor Park on Tuesday at 7:15 and we will see of the Tides can continue this merry offensive romp.  See you at Harbor Park.

Peace,

Padre Steve+

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June 7, 2010 · 00:20

Tides Lose in Sunday Afternoon Slugfest 8-6

“The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers.” Earl Weaver

Getting his swing back. Nolan Reimold hammers a deep fly ball on Sunday

The Norfolk Tides lost their 5th straight falling to the Buffalo Bisons in a Sunday afternoon slugfest in which for the third time in three games they collected what should have been enough hits and runs to win. In fact today of the 8 runs scored by the Bisons 3 were unearned coming as the result of poor fielding and throwing by Tides infielders in particular a top of the 8th inning error where shortstop Robert Andino ran past what would have been an easy double play ball off the bat of former Norfolk Tides infielder Justin Turner that scored two runs at a point that the Tides were ahead in the game.  The runs gave the Bisons a lead that they would not relinquish and seal the fate of the Tides on this blistering hot Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Salazar steps on home plate following his 7th inning home run

Tides starting pitcher Chris George gave up 5 runs, 4 of which were earned in 5.2 innings work and Zack Clark so new to the team from AA Bowie that he went out in a jersey without his name affixed to it gave up 3 runs in 2.1 innings of which only 1 was an earned run.  Ross Wolf pitched the 9th inning coming in with two on and two out. He got J R House out while trying to bunt and made an excellent play to field the ball and throw out Valentino Pascucci at third. He then got Jesus Feliciano to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Brandon Snyder bunts for a hit

The big damage to the Tides came from the extremely potent Buffalo offense. For once the Bisons’ parent organization the New York Mets has invested in putting experienced and potent offensive force together despite a dearth of young prospects. The Bisons pack a huge offensive punch including Mike Hessman the all-time Minor League home run king but the Chief Tides basher has been Mike Jacobs who has beaten Tides pitching about in a rude and nearly ruthless manner over the past two days as well as former Tides catcher J R House who today had a home run, double plating 3 of the Bisons runs.

However if there is a silver lining in the past three games it is for the first time this season the Tides seem to be hitting the ball consistently using both contact and power to make things happen. The Tides picked up their first run in the bottom of the 2nd inning one singles by Rhyne Hughes, Brandon Snyder and Michel Hernandez. The Bisons collected two in the top of the 3rd inning when Andy Green reached on an error J R House doubled and Jesus Feliciano singled to drive in both Green and House.

The Tides tied the score in the bottom of the 4th as Rhyne Hughes and Brandon Snyder singled and Michel Hernandez sacrificed to right field to score Hughes.  Buffalo then scored 3 runs in the top frame of the 6th driving Tides starter Chris George out of the game and it was as the sage Earl Weaver mentioned, the part about the three run home runs as   J R  House clubbed a three run homer off of George with one out.  However the Tides did not roll over and die as they had in so many games earlier in the season and in the bottom of the 7th the now scrappy Tides offense plated 4 runs.  Michel Hernandez, Blake Davis and Matt Angle singled to load the bases. Robert Andino then hit into a double play but Hernandez scored.  Jeff Salazar then hit a 2 run home run off of Pat Misch to tie the game. Nolan Reimold and Rhyne Hughes singled and Brandon Snyder singled to drive in Reimold before Blake Davis grounded out to end the inning.

Chris George allowed 4 earned runs in 5.2 innings getting no decision

In the top of the 8th the Bisons took the lead when Robert Andino missed what looked to be an easy grounder that easily could have been a double play, the ball rolled into short left field and two runs scored and the Bisons were back in the lead and add an insurance run in the 9th to make the final score 8-6.

The Bisons scored 8 runs on 11 hits with 1 error and 11 men left on base. The Tides 6 runs on 15 hits and 4 errors leaving 8 on base including 5 left in scoring position with 2 outs.

While the Tides offense has come alive the pitching has been weak and they were not helped by four errors which allowed three unearned runs.  In spite of this the Tides are showing signs of life under Interim Manager Bobby Dickerson who took on an umpiring crew that made three obviously bad calls that cost the Tides runs the most egregious being a hit by J R House in the top of the 2nd which should have been a foul ball that was ruled fair and went for a double, a force at second in the top of the 8th which the 2nd base umpire ruled that second baseman Blake Davis who was plowed over at second had been pulled off the bag.  Later in the 8th Mike Hessman was ruled hit by a pitch which had all the marking of a ball that hit the bat before striking him. The last call got Dickerson tossed by Home Plate Umpire Chris Conroy.  Dickerson does not just manage but he leads and appears to inspire. Players that have not been performing have been benched and for the first time in recent memory the Tides took infield practice on a game day. What appears to be the new mantra in the Orioles organization is accountability and chemistry.  Things are not better yet but if I were the Orioles I would make Dickerson the permanent manager of the Tides tomorrow.  It takes time to get the pitching right and I do not see a quick fix to that with the probability that Arietta will be in Baltimore possibly within the week, however it appears that he is bringing some discipline and order back to a team that has a lot of talent but not achieved the success that it is capable of accomplishing. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days and weeks as Andy McPhail and the Orioles begin to make the hard choices regarding players and ultimately who will remain in Baltimore and on the 40 man roster.

The Orioles defeated the Red Sox today at Camden Yards 4-3 in 11 innings with David Hernandez getting his first win of the season in relief.

The final game of the season series between the Bisons and Tides will be on Monday at 12:15 as Troy Patton (3-7, 5.73 ERA) will take the hill for the Tides against former Tide Bobby Livingston (2-5, 4.18 ERA).

Peace

Padre Steve+

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June 6, 2010 · 20:52

Tides Lose in Harbor Park Slugfest 12-9

Andy Mitchell was hit hard in the first two innings and registered the loss despite the Tides Hitters attempts

It was a hot night at the Church of Baseball, Harbor Park Parish as the temperature was high and bats were on fire. If you were looking for a pitcher’s duel this was not the place to see one. In part this was due to Norfolk Tides ace Jake Arietta being pulled from the start the day of the game in what is believed to be a move by the Orioles to have him ready to come to Baltimore in a middle relief role at short notice.  In his place veteran submariner Andy Mitchell got the start, his first start since April.  Unfortunately for Andy it was his worst outing of the year as the veteran Bisons’ line up which has the highest batting average in the league and is loaded with players who have played against him for years had his number. After giving up 6 runs in the 1st inning he lasted 2 and 2/3rds innings giving up a total of 7 runs on 13 hits.  Andy has been at his best this year in middle relief following hard throwing pitchers where his submarine style keeps batters who are locked in on the hard throwing pitchers off balance.

Mike Jacobs hit everyone that he faced including Jake Arietta

Tonight the Bisons had Andy’s number and with 2 outs in the top of the 3rd inning he was pulled for Mike Hinckley who after an inauspicious debut in the 9th inning Friday night pitched 1 and 1/3 innings allowing no runs on hits.  Jake Arrieta came into the game in the 5th to throw two innings gave up another run on 3 hits before handing the ball over to Kam Mickolio in the 7th. Kam who has struggled gave no hint of that on Saturday pitching very well in 1 and 2/3rds innings giving up no runs on 3 hits before being pulled with a 2-0 count against Mike Cervenak appearing to be injured and closer Denis Sarfate came in and struck out Cervenak to end the inning.

Mike Hinckley had a good outing in his second appearance for the Tides

The Tides hitters were not silent and as on Friday night chipped away at the Buffalo lead in a convincing manner in a performance on any normal night would have been a game winning performance.

The comeback started in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Blake Davis and Paco Figueroa both singled and Figueroa stole 2nd setting up Matt Angle who singled to drive in both runners.  In the 5th inning with a runner on and 1 out the improving Nolan Reimold homered to left to make the score 7-4. The Tides scored 2 more runs in the bottom of the 6th.  Adam Donachie singled and reached third on a double by Paco Figueroa.  The Bisons then sent in Michael O’Connor to relieve starter Dylan Owen.  O’Connor promptly threw a wild pitch in the dirt that bounce over the home plate netting into the seats to score Donachie.  He the got Matt Angle to ground out to first before Robert Andino singled to score Figueroa. Jeff Salazar struck out and then Rhyne Hughes singled Andino to 3rd base.  Jose Della Torre came into the game for O’Connor and hit Nolan Reimold with a pitch to load the bases. He then walked Brandon Snyder to score Andino before getting Blake Davis to ground out to first to end the inning.

Nolan Reimold greeted at the plate after hitting a 2 run homer in the 5th inning

Once again the Tides seemed to have momentum on their side but fortune turned against them as Denis Sarfate who has been lights out in the 9th inning gave up 4 runs the big damage coming on a Mike Jacobs bases clearing triple with the bases loaded. This gave the Bisons a 12-7 lead going into the bottom of the 9th.  The Tides did not go quietly into the night however as Brandon Snyder hit a leadoff home run and Blake Davis doubled. Adam Donachie struck out swinging and Paco Figueroa grounded out to move Davis to 3rd base. Davis scored on a wild pitch by Manny Acosta to narrow the lead to 12-9. Matt Angle then singled and it looked like the Tides might be about to pull this one out of the fire, instead Robert Andino flied out to center on a 2-0 pitch to end the game.

Once again the Tides put enough runs on the board to win a game and didn’t. Tonight as Earl Weaver said “The only thing that matters is what happens on the little hump out in the middle of the field” and that was in evidence Saturday as Tides pitchers gave up 10 runs in just two innings.  Had the pitching been there the Tides would have walked away with the win but instead dropped their 4th straight.  On the positive side for the second night in a row the Tides hitters produced hits and runs.

As I said at the beginning of this article this was not a night to see pitching.  The Bisons had 12 runs on 22 hits and no errors and left 11 men on base. The Tides with production that should get a win on any night had 9 runs on 15 hits and 1 error leaving 11 on base. Andy Mitchell (0-1 9.86 ERA) got the loss and Dylan Owen (2-1 6.14 ERA) got the win with Manny Acosta getting the save. The teams play Sunday afternoon at Harbor Park. See you there.

Peace,

Padre Steve+

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June 5, 2010 · 16:00

Tides Come Back from 6-0 deficit but Lose as Hinkley gives up 4 runs in 9th Inning

Armando Gabino had his worst outing of the year

On a very warm evening the Norfolk Tides looked like they would get a big comeback win. On their first night with Interim Manager Bobby Dickerson at the helm the Tides opened their four game series against the Buffalo Bisons at Harbor Park where a crowd of 6345 gathered to celebrate “Marine Night.”

The Tides managed to rebound from a 6-0 Buffalo lead only to lose in the 9th inning when Michael Hinckley just promoted to Norfolk from AA Bowie loaded the bases with no outs to give up 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning.

Tides starter Armando Gabino had his worst outing of the season giving up 6 runs on 6 hits, though 2 of the runs were unearned due to a fielding error by Second Baseman Blake Davis in the 3rd inning which opened the floodgates. Gabino got into trouble again in the 4th and was relieved by Jim Miller. Miller would settle things down and pitch three innings before yielding to Ross Wolf in the 7th. Wolf too held the Bisons in check as the Tides offense went to work.

Jim Miller continued good work as a middle releiver

Brandon Snyder ignited the Tides in the 5th inning when with one out he hit a line drive over the right field wall into the Tides bullpen. That hit by Snyder rocked Harbor Park. The fans that had been silenced by the Bisons were back in the game and the effect was electric.  Blake Davis then singled and Michel Hernandez walked.  With 2 on and 1 out Matt Angle singled to drive in Davis to cut the lead to 6-2.  In the 5th inning the Tides scored another run when Josh Bell reached second on a throwing error on an infield ground ball.  Nolan Reimold who seems to be improving after a dismal season in Baltimore followed by a worse start in Norfolk singled to drive in Bell making it a 6-3 game.

Matt Angle with one of his four hits

The Tides tied the game in the bottom of the 7th when with 1 out Michel Hernandez singled and advanced to second on a single by Matt Angle.  Hernandez scored when Robert Andino singled and Matt Angle advanced to second base.  Jeff Salazar singled to drive in Angle and move Andino to third base and would score on a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game at six.

Blake Davis Scores in the 5th inning on a Matt Angle Single

It appeared at this point that the Tides had all the momentum and had the Bisons on the ropes.  In the top of the 9th Michael Hinckley who had just been promoted to Norfolk from Bowie when hard luck Pedro Viola was sent down to Bowie made his first AAA appearance.  He gave up a single to former Tides infielder Justin Turner and a double to Mike Jacobs.  He then walked all time Minor League Baseball Home run king Mike Hessman to load the bases.  Now with the bases loaded he walked Russ Adams to give Buffalo the lead.  At this point Bobby Dickerson brought in former Oriole Cla Meredith hoping that Meredith’s Major League experience would pay off and shut down the Bisons before more damage could be done.  This was not the case as the first batter that Meredith faced Valentino Pascucci doubled down the line in right to clear the bases and give the Bisons a 10-6 lead.  Meredith struck out Andy Green but lost it on a wild pitch which put Green on first and Pascucci on third base.  J R House grounded out to score Pascucci before Meredith got Jesus Feliciano to ground out to end the frame. The Tides went down quietly in the bottom of the 9th and the game ended with the final score Buffalo 11 and the Tides 6.

Buffalo had 11 runs on 12 hits with 1 error and 8 men left on base, the Tides 6 runs on 12 hits and 2 errors with 6 runners left on base.  Bisons’ reliever Bobby Parnell (1-1 4.73 ERA) got the “unsave” and the win and Hinckley the loss giving up 4 runs without retiring a batter.

I did notice a couple of things that I thought were important. First Bobby Dickerson did not wait and wait to make pitching changes; he got pitchers out of the game when they got in serious trouble. Unfortunately in the 9th inning he had misplaced confidence in Cla Meredith. The second thing and this was even more important, the Tides hitters got the team back in the game as relievers Miller and Wolf held the Bisons after they had gotten out to the 6-0 lead.  Another note of interest was the continued hitting of Brandon Snyder and the 4 hits of Matt Angle in the lead off position.

The Tides and Bisons play tonight at Harbor Park and it will be a hot one with temperatures in the high 80s at game time. Jake Arietta (6-2 1.77 ERA) will be going for his 7th win of the season against Dylan Owen (1-1 4.76).

See you there.

Peace

Padre Steve+

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