The good news is that the Norfolk Tides will be playing in the postseason this year. The bad news is that their pitching is struggling as the season winds down.
The Tides recently split their series with the Red Birds, but it was the pitching that was a concern in the series split.
The offense, shut out twice to open the series, redeemed itself by the end of the series, but the pitching allowed five or more runs in five of the six games.
The Tides are 4.5 games behind the division leader, but once again, are finding the second half of the season to be much more difficult than the first. Norfolk currently sits at 24-21 after closing the series with three straight wins.
Let’s see who stood out for the Tides this week after their split with the Red Birds.
COBY MAYO – INF
The big masher, who has ascended through the ranks to become the Orioles’ No. 4 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 28 prospect, is showing his moxy in Triple-A Norfolk.
Against Memphis, Mayo would hit .316 for the series and would pick up six RBIs and five walks while striking out just five times in the series.
In Norfolk’s 9-2 win on August 19, Mayo would go 2-for-4 at the plate, including a double, as he drove in two runs, scored a run and also walked. He also was involved in two double plays on defense.
For the season, Mayo is slashing .284/.398/.558 and has played in 110 games across two levels, picking up 112 hits. Among those hits, he has 21 home runs, 39 doubles and three triples, as 56% of his hits are for extra bases. He has 71 RBIs, 60 runs scored and has walked 66 times.
COLTON COWSER – OF
It wasn’t long before Cowser would make his presence known once again in Norfolk. Playing in his first series since being sent back down, Cowser showed why he is the Orioles’ No. 2 and MLB’s No. 14 prospect.
Hitting .350 across the series, Cowser had his best game in Sunday’s Tides’ 6-5 victory. For the game, Cowser would go 3-for-5 at the plate, including a two-run home run and a double while scoring twice.
Cowser is now slashing .332/.461/.561 in 61 games in Norfolk. He has picked up 74 hit, including 12 home runs, 45 RBIs, 58 runs and 53 walks.
GARRETT STALLINGS – RHP
This week’s pitcher of the week came down to Chayce McDermott and Garrett Stallings, and it was Stallings who stood out the most.
In Saturday’s 9-2 victory, Stallings would work five innings of one-run ball. Though he allowed nine base runners (seven hits, two walks), he did induce two double plays and strike out five batters, as he threw 90 pitches (58 for strikes).
Stallings improves to 5-4 across 10 games (nine starts) for Norfolk and has accumulated a 5.44 ERA and 1.63 WHIP across 49.2 innings of work. Though opponents are hitting .310 against him, he has struck out 52 while picking up three quality starts. He has also forced four double plays and is throwing a second best career mark of 3.6 pitches per at-bat.
Norfolk was off on Monday before welcoming the second place Durham Bulls to town. Will the Tides be able to pull the Bulls under and gain ground on the top teams?
It all starts Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. EST at Harbor Park. Be sure to root our Tides to victory as the season is winding down.
Who stood out to you for Norfolk this week? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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