New faces help Tides open long road trip with victory
Two newcomers to the Norfolk Tides made a strong early impression in their 6-5 victory over the Durham Bulls on Tuesday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.
Dean Kremer pitched four strong innings in his first Norfolk start since being sent down by the Baltimore Orioles last week. The right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits in four innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.
Second baseman Malquin Canelo went 2 for 5 with a two-run double in his second game with the Tides since being promoted from Double-A Bowie on Friday. His big hit capped a four-run second inning.
Fernando Abad earned his second save by escaping a jam. He entered the game in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded and one out and the Tides leading 6-3. He struck out Vidal Brujan, but then allowed a two-run single to Wander Franco, who is considered MLB’s No. 1 prospect. With two runners on and two outs, Abad fanned Josh Lowe to end it.
Hunter Harvey (2-1) relieved Kremer in the fifth and picked up the victory with 1 ⅔ scoreless innings.
Zach Jarrett, Ramon Urias, Willy Yahn and Ryan Ripken joined Canelo with two hits apiece for the Tides, who finished with 13.
Norfolk (9-15) opened its 12-game road trip with its second straight victory and sixth in its past seven games. The series at Durham continues with 6:35 p.m. games Wednesday through Saturday and a 5:05 p.m. start on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Orioles recalled left-hander Zac Lowther from Norfolk and optioned infielder Tyler Nevin back to the Tides on Wednesday.