The Norfolk Tides are loaded with talent, and it took a championship ring to remind them of that.
Playing the Gwinnett Stripers, the Tides would lose the first three games of their series to go on a four-game losing streak. Then, the pitching woke up and over the last four games allowed four runs or less, taking three straight to close the set.
Norfolk has dug themselves an early hole as they sit 5.5 games back of first place in their defense of their Triple-A Championship. They do have the talent, and they have players capable of turning things around quickly.
They currently sit at 12-15 on a three-game winning streak. Let’s take a look at who the great, the good and the ugly were for the series against Gwinnett.
The Great: John Means – LHP
Just a week ago, Means was on this list for an outing that lasted 0.1 innings. It’s amazing what a savvy veteran can do to show he is ready to rejoin the big league club.
Means showed his veteran prowess in his two starts this week, though it was his final Norfolk start where he shined the brightest.
In Sunday’s 2-0 victory, Means would pitch seven innings of one-hit ball. He would strike out eight in the outing while walking just one and hitting a batter with a pitch.
For the week, Means totaled 11.1 innings, allowing three earned runs (2.38 ERA), eight hits (0.88 WHIP) and 13 strikeouts.
The Good: Kyle Stowers – OF
After a strong spring and getting passed over for a big league roster spot, the veteran minor leaguer is showing he is not a talent to overlook.
Stowers would go 6-for-23 (.261 avg) with two doubles, two home runs, three RBIs, three runs scored and two walks in the series. He has reached based in 16 of 22 games in April and has hit in 15 of them. The 26-year-old also has 18 RBIs and seven home runs to go with his 21 hits for the month of April.
Stowers’ best game of the series was the 9-4 loss on Wednesday. Yes, he homered in two games and had multiple hits in another game, but this game stood out because Stowers reached base three times, going 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored.
For the season, the power-hitting lefty is slashing .248/.301/.571/.872 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs. Of Stowers’ 26 total hits on the season, 16 have gone for extra bases.
The Bad: Connor Norby – INF
Normally, one of the most reliable hitters for Norfolk, Norby struggled this series, as his batting average fell from .303 to .274 by week’s end.
Norby would strike out (13) more than half of his at-bats (24) for the series and only mustered three hits (.167 average).
This, of course, is just a mini-slump for someone who has reached base in 19 of the 23 games this month and has hits in 16 of them, including seven multi-hit games.
For the season, Norby is slashing .274/.346/.487/.833 with six home runs, 19 RBIs and 21 runs scored. The former Eastern Carolina University product has also walked 12 times and stolen two bases.
The Norfolk Tides are off on Monday but head to First Horizon Park to play the Nashville Tourists starting Tuesday.
Both teams will be looking to climb over the .500 mark for the season. Will the Tides wash away the Tourists, or will Nashville keep Norfolk beached? The series starts on Tuesday at 7:35 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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