Norfolk drops series finale vs. Lehigh Valley

Lehigh Valley used a strong start from José Taveras and some clutch hits with two outs to top the Tides 6-1 Thursday afternoon at Harbor Park.

The IronPigs got on the board early, plating a first inning run against Tyler Wilson on an RBI groundout by Andrew Pullin. Lehigh Valley then padded their lead in the fourth frame, plating two-out runs on an RBI single by Scott Kingery and a two-run double off of J.P. Crawford. The IronPigs later extended their advantage to 5-0 in the sixth inning on a solo home run by Herlis Rodriguez.
The early offense was more than enough for Taveras (2-1), who limited to the Tides to just one hit - a David Washington double - over six scoreless innings of work. The 23-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out six as he lowered his ERA to 1.17 in four starts with the IronPigs this season.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Wilson (6-7), who yielded five runs on eight hits over six innings of work. The UVA product walked two and struck out three, throwing 64 of his 88 pitches for strikes.
Norfolk plated their only run of the contest in the seventh inning, when Pedro Álvarez lined a double off the right field wall and came around to score on a groundout by Francisco Peña.
Despite the setback, Norfolk took two of three games in the series - the eighth consecutive series in which the Tides have either won or split. Over that span, The Tides have six series victories and two series splits.
The Tides will welcome in the Toledo Mud Hens to Harbor Park on Friday night in the opener of a three-game set. Mike Wright (3-5, 3.76) gets the start for Norfolk and will be opposed by right-hander Myles Jaye (2-6, 3.92).
On Friday, the Tides will be wearing special Merman jerseys, which will be auctioned off during the game with proceeds going to charity. Friday is also the first day of the Lego Play Ball Tour at Harbor Park, and there will be giveaways, prizes and special in-game Lego content. The first 3,000 fans will also receive a Harbor Park 25^th anniversary pennant courtesy of Virginia Eye Consultants, and a fireworks extravaganza will follow the game.
Notes: Lehigh Valley lost its designated hitter in the third inning after Scott Kingery was forced to move from DH to second base after infielder Matt Williams was hit by a pitch and could not remain in the game…Chris Johnson made his first appearance of the season - and third career appearance - in left field…During the game, Baltimore announced that infielder Rubén Tejada had cleared waivers and was outrighted to Norfolk…Chris Lee allowed an unearned run over three innings of relief, lowering his ERA to 0.52 (1 ER, 17.1 IP) in his five outings since being moved to the bullpen…Norfolk committed four errors, matching a season-high.
August 17 highlights