Mitchell pitches Tides to 4th straight win
Mitchell (8-2) moved into a tie for second in the International League with his eighth victory, helping the Tides pick up their fourth straight win over the Knights. The 30-year-old right-hander allowed three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out four.
Norfolk jumped out to an early lead off of Charlotte starter Bartolo Colon (1-1), who was making his second major league rehab start for the Knights. Blake Davis started the scoring by belting his first Triple-A home run on the second pitch of the game, and Justin Turner later added an RBI single in the first frame to give the Tides a 2-0 lead.
After Charlotte pulled within a run on a double by Carlos Quentin in the third frame, Norfolk extended its lead in the fifth on a two-run homer by Jeff Fiorentino - his seventh of the season and second in the last two games.
After a two-run single by Wilson Betemit in the sixth inning brought Charlotte within 4-3, Mitchell tossed a scoreless seventh before giving way to Alberto Castillo, who allowed one hit over two scoreless innings to record his seventh save of the season.
With the win, the Tides improved to 11-5 in July and 11-3 against the Knights this season.
Norfolk will take to the road Monday night for the start of an eight-game road trip through Gwinnett and Durham. Troy Patton (1-3, 5.47) will make the start for the Tides agaisnt right-hander Todd Redmond (5-6, 5.09) for the Braves, with first pitch slated for 7:00.