The Norfolk Tides came into the week looking to improve on their 10-17 record, walking away with three wins, two losses, and one postponement. With players up and down and in rehab assignments, it’s hard to maintain a consistent lineup, but the future is bright with younger talent coming through and the current roster growing and learning each day.
Doing his best to prove he can be a consistent second baseman, Jahmai Jones holds a seven-game hitting streak. Playing in all five games this week, Jones homered two times. During his seven-game hitting streak, Jones is hitting .375 with a pair of home runs, three walks, two doubles, and two stolen bases. After this week, Jones has raised his batting average to .313.
Brett Cumberland (acquired in the Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day trade) was one of the big contributions this week, as he looks like a potential future back-up to Adley Rutschman. Cumberland posted a multi-hit game in a 9-3 win Wednesday night. He continues to maintain a decent average, batting .253 on the season with an .831 OPS.
On the pitching side, Connor Greene had his best game this week, tossing five innings, allowing just three hits. Zac Lowther started that game, going four innings, striking out four, and allowing three hits. Lowther’s 79 pitches caused an early exit for Greene to finish off the shut out, earning the victory and improving to 1-2 on the year.
Alex Wells, not to be shown up, also earned a victory this week, leading the Tides to a 9-3 victory over the Jumbo Shrimp. The Australian lefty pitched five innings, allowing just one run on three hits, while striking out five during his start. He improved to 3-2 on the year.
The Tides will travel home on Monday, when they will be off. They start a 12-game home stand, with six games against the Durham Bulls, as they look to make some noise and climb the division standings. The tide will only rise, as they start a more consistent lineup and welcome players from Double-A, such as left-hander Kevin Smith, who was just promoted from Bowie.
The future is coming, and the Tides are the last stop to the show!
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