Aubrey, Tides slam Chiefs
Aubrey belted a first inning grand slam off of Jason Jones (1-5), then connected on a two-run shot in the fourth that gave the Tides a 9-0 lead. Aubrey has now homered in three straight contests, and over his last six games he's batted .476 (10-for-21) with seven home runs and 16 RBI.
Prior to his current six-game run, Aubrey had hit six home runs and driven in 23 in his previous 61 contests. If he were to hit another home run Thursday, he would be the first Tides batter to homer in four straight games since Mark Johnson accomplished the feat during the 2000 season.
Pitching in place of the recently recalled Troy Patton, Tides starter Armando Gabino (6-0) was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst, although he didn't particularly need it. Gabino allowed one run - a solo homer by Luis Ordaz - on two hits in six strong innings, and he struck out the side in his final inning to tie a season-high with seven strikeouts.
Gabino's ERA now stands at 2.34, and he's held IL batters to a .208 batting average this season.
Robert Andino finished the contest 3-for-5 with a homer and two runs batted in, while Joey Gathright and Jonathan Tucker each added two hits, a walk and a run scored.
Syracuse plated six runs against the Tides bullpen over the final three innings, but Frank Mata struck out Justin Maxwell looking to end the contest and give the Tides their fourth win in their past six games.
The Tides will look for the series win in their homestand finale Thursday afternoon, as Zach Britton (1-1, 1.50) will take the hill for Norfolk against right-hander Shairon Martis (6-5, 3.82). First pitch is scheduled for 12:15.