Tides Routed By Jacksonville For Fourth Straight Loss

The Norfolk Tides hosted the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp as they played the Jumbo Shrimp in their second game of their six game homestand. The Tides only scored two runs on the night while giving up eight runs on ten hits to the Jumbo Shrimp, losing, 8-2.

Zach Zehner homered deep to left to gain the lead for the Jumbo Shrimp in the top of the third inning. This was his fourth home run of the year. The lead was not held quickly as the Tides responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the third.

Two doubles, a wild pitch, and a single allowed the Tides to go up 2-1 over the Jumbo Shrimp. Mason McCoy hit yet another double, his second in two days, to get on base but a throwing error allowed him to advance to third. Once on third, a wild pitch allowed McCoy to come home soon after.

With the game tied at 1-1, the Tides hit another double, this time by first baseman J.C. Escarra. Escarra was then scored by Ryan McKenna, who wasted no time getting on base. On the first pitch thrown by Jumbo Shrimp pitcher Brandon Leibrandt, McKenna hit a ground single that allowed for Escarra to get home.

The Jumbo Shrimp had three hits in the fourth, which scored them two runs. To start the inning, catcher Payton Henry drew a walk. Then, Brian Miller hit a single to move Henry to second. A double and a single back-to-back scored both Henry and Miller, putting the Jumbo Shrimp up 3-2.

Monte Harrison hits the second home run of the game for the Jumbo Shrimp, who have hit 153 home runs all year. This is his ninth home run of the year. His home run scored Eddy Alvarez after he got on base after being hit by a pitch by Tides reliever Adam Plutko. The Jumbo Shrimp hold the lead at 5-2.

The second hit-by-pitch drawn by Alvarez came in the eight inning. Harrison singled to advance Alvarez. The Tides gave up a one-run single to Marrero, a sac-fly to Lorenzo Quintana, and a one-run double to Bryson Brigman in the eight inning that gave the Jumbo Shrimp the 8-2 lead. The Jumbo Shrimp held the Tides scoreless to win the game, their second in the row against the Tides.

Tides starter Kevin Smith threw 82 pitches in 3.1 innings pitched. He struck out four and walked three, but gave up six hits to the Jumbo Shrimp. He finished the game with a 5.95 ERA after being awarded his fourth loss of the year.

Thursday’s game against the Jumbo Shrimp on August 25 will be a noon start. With Tides pitcher Ofelky Peralta starting game three, the righty hopes to get his fourth win with the Tides after coming up from Double-A Bowie, where he played 13 games starting eight sporting a 4.53 ERA.