Tides sink Shrimp Friday night, 8-0

The Tides earned their first shutout victory of 2021, blanking the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 8-0, Friday night at 121 Financial Ballpark.

Norfolk was led to victory by two great pitching performances from starter Zac Lowther and reliever Conner Greene, as well as a 4-RBI night from Domingo Leyba, who homered for the third-straight game.

Lowther, the Orioles No. 9 prospect according to MLB.com, made his fourth start with the Tides and took a no-decision after allowing just three hits over four scoreless innings. The left-hander walked two and struck out four, while throwing 49 of his 79 pitches for strikes.

Conner Greene followed Lowther with five scoreless innings of his own out of the bullpen. Greene, who had not appeared in a game since 5/28 vs. Charlotte, earned his first win of the season after allowing just three hits and one walk with one strikeout.

Ryan McKenna, who rejoined the Tides after being optioned from Baltimore yesterday, got the Tides on the board in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly that scored Ramon Urias.

The Tides then put up two runs in the sixth inning, with the first courtesy of an RBI single from Domingo Leyba that scored Chance Sisco.

Leyba, who was claimed off waivers by Baltimore from Arizona on 6/4 and made his Tides debut on 6/8, has driven in 10 runs over his last three games with Norfolk. Prior to his three-run homer and RBI single Friday night, he hit a solo home run on 6/10 and launched a grand slam and hit an RBI single on 6/9.

He did it AGAIN! @JuniorL07 homered for the third-straight game! 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/SkugXhtfSc

— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) June 12, 2021

The second Tides run in the sixth came on a balk by Jacksonville pitcher Eric Stout with Mason McCoy at the plate, scoring Tyler Nevin.

Stout came in to relieve Jumbo Shrimp starter Jordan Holloway, who allowed one unearned run on three hits over 3.2 innings in his start.

The Tides did not score again until the ninth, when they put up five more runs on a two-run double by Jahmai Jones and the three-run homer by Leyba. Jones’ two-run double marked his sixth extra-base hit of the season, as six of his eight hits on the year have been for extra bases.

Leyba has now homered in three-straight games and may have a chance to make it four-straight Saturday. The last Tides batter to hit a home run in four-consecutive games was Mark Johnson from 4/8-11 during the 2000 season.

The Tides and Jumbo Shrimp will face off in game five of this six-game series Saturday, with first pitch at 6:35. Kyle Bradish (1-0, 2.03) gets the start for Norfolk, as Josh A. Smith (2-0, 2.83) takes the hill for Jacksonville.