What started out as a legitimate Norfolk Tides wave washing over the competition has turned into a whirlpool of questions.
Since opening the season winning seven of their first nine games, the Tides would drop seven straight heading into their series with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Things didn’t get much better, as Norfolk would drop the first three games to bring their losing streak to 10. Luckily, they turned things around to win two straight but would drop the last game to lose the series, four games to six.
The Tides are now 9-12, sitting in eighth place in the division, and are only one game from being in the cellar.
Pitching has to be one concern, as opponents have scored four or more runs in 10 of the last 12 games. On the flip side, the offense has scored four or more runs in six of those 12 games.
So, while Norfolk regroups, let’s take a look at the great, good and the ugly from this week’s series.
THE GREAT: Heston Kjerstad – OF
Heston Kjerstad seems to have corrected from his slow start in spring and is once again showing the Orioles why he is a top prospect. With Colton Cowser making waves in the bigs, it’s just a matter of time before Kjerstad is joining him roaming the outfield in Baltimore.
Kjerstad was 8-for-25 (.320 avg) for the series, ending with a four-game hitting streak and collecting two three-hit performances during the series.
In Norfolk’s 4-1 victory Friday, the young slugger would collect three of the Tides’ nine hits and drive in two of the four runs. Kjerstad went 3-for-5, including two home runs, while scoring and driving in two runs for the game.
Kjerstad is now slashing .349/.431/.744/1.175 with 10 home runs, 30 RBIs and 25 runs scored through just 21 games on the young season.
THE GOOD: Coby Mayo – INF
The tape measure slugger, Coby Mayo, is turning into an all-around player with a stronger upside than most give him.
Mayo has reached base in 18 of 21 games this season, though two of those games came during this series. For the series, Mayo was 7-of-25 (.280), as he crushed two home runs and drove in eight while scoring five himself.
In Saturday’s 11-5 victory, Mayo was 3-for-5, with those two home runs, while scoring twice and driving in six runs for the game.
Mayo is now slashing .344/.388/.655/1.044 with seven home runs, 19 RBIs and 18 runs scored through 21 games.
THE BAD: John Means – LHP
While all of Birdland eagerly awaits Means to arrive in Baltimore, his showing in the minors is starting to become a bit concerning.
Means has yet to pitch more than three innings in a game, and of his five starts, three have gone an inning or less. Hopefully, it’s just him working on certain pitches, but flags are starting to be raised after his most recent outing.
In Wednesday’s series opener, Means was tasked to start and could not even collect two outs before leaving the game. His final line was: 0.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, BB, 0 K, 2 HR
Currently, Means is now 0-2 with an 18.41 ERA through 7.1 innings. He has collected nine strikeouts, but his WHIP is 2.59, and opponents are batting .389 against the veteran lefty.
The Norfolk Tides will have the day off on Monday before returning home to play the Gwinnett Stripers at Harbor Park.
Can the Tides turn their season around and get back to their dominating ways, or will the Stripers keep them down? It all starts Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. EST.
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 (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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