Despite a disappointing weekend of three losses in two days, the Norfolk Tides remain in excellent position to clinch a berth in the International League championship series. They just will have travel to do so.
The Tides lost 11-5 in a series finale on Father’s Day to the Worcester Red Sox before 8,152 at Harbor Park, stumbling into a rare three-game losing streak and squandering a chance to clinch the IL’s first-half title. It was the first time the Tides lost a series all season.
But Norfolk is 45-23 and, with the season’s first half scheduled to end June 25, is a prohibitive favorite to ensure a berth (and home-field advantage) in the best-of-three series, starting Sept. 26, that will decide the league champion.
The Tides, who lead the 20-team league by five games, haven’t been in the Governors’ Cup playoffs since 2015 and haven’t won the IL title since 1985, their fifth championship.
The team with a mathematical chance to catch Norfolk is the St. Paul Saints (40-28), who routed Louisville 12-5 Sunday. The Tides have a magic number of 2 — combining Norfolk wins at Nashville and St. Paul defeats at Toledo — to clinch a playoff bid. Those series will start Tuesday night.
The Red Sox (35-34) won four of six games in the series in Norfolk.
Sunday, Tides starter Bruce Zimmermann left with a 4-3 lead after six innings, but Worcester erupted for six runs in the seventh.
In that inning, reliever Dillon Tate walked all four batters he faced — all of whom scored — and didn’t record an out. Eduard Bazardo and Morgan McSweeney each yielded two more runs as Worcester broke open the game.
Tate is on a rehabilitation assignment from the Baltimore Orioles, working his way back from a right elbow flexor strain. Earlier this year, he was shut down after making 10 rehab appearances in a month because of a stress reaction in the elbow.
Last season, Tate had a 3.05 earned-run average in 67 appearances with the Orioles, but he hasn’t appeared in a major league game in 2023.
Daz Cameron belted a homer, doubled and scored three runs for the Tides. He, Robbie Glendinning and Colton Cowser each had two of Norfolk’s seven hits.
Worcester had 12 hits — including three apiece by Christian Koss, who was just a homer short of the cycle, and Niko Goodrum. Cam Booser got the victory with three strikeouts in 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Late Saturday
Before a sellout crowd of 12,164 on a Saturday night of fireworks, the Tides lost 8-6 and 5-2 in seven-inning contests.
In Game 1, Worcester’s Brian Dalbec was 3 for 4 with three runs. The Red Sox scored in four consecutive innings, capped by Dalbec’s homer in the top of the fifth, to go ahead 5-0 off Norfolk starter Drew Rom.
The Tides cut the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth with Maverick Handley scoring on a Colton Cowser groundout and Ben DeLuzio coming home on a Connor Norby doubled.
In the sixth, the Tides pulled even. Robbie Glendinning hit a two-run double to center, then scored on Cowser’s infield single.
But the Red Sox answered in the seventh off reliever Ryan Watson (3-3) with a go-ahead solo homer by Enmanuel Valdez and a two-run shot by Ronaldo Hernandez. The Tides’ Heston Kjerstad belted a home run in the seventh.
Game 2’s biggest blow, by far, was Valdez’s grand slam off Chris Vallimont (2-4) in the third inning. That gave Worcester a 4-1 advantage over the Tides, who were playing in the nightcap as the Norfolk Squeezers in honor of the orange drink.
Norfolk’s runs came on homers by Norby in the first and Lewin Diaz in the fourth, both off starter Brandon Walter.
Worcester’s Brendan Nail (2-0) and Andrew Politi, who gained his fifth save, combined for 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief.
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
(through some of Sunday’s games)
Team, W-L, Pct., GB
Norfolk (Orioles), 45-23, .662, –
St. Paul (Twins), 40-28, .588, 5.0
*Iowa (Cubs), 39-28, .582, 5.5
*Durham (Rays), 38-30, .559, 7.0
Louisville (Reds), 37-30, .552, 7.5
*Nashville (Brewers), 36-31, .537, 8.5
*Memphis (Cardinals), 36-32, .529, 9.0
*Omaha (Royals), 33-32, .508, 10.5
Lehigh Valley (Phillies), 34-33, .507, 10.5
Worcester (Red Sox), 35-34, .507, 10.5
Rochester (Nationals), 32-35, .478, 12.5
*Charlotte (White Sox), 32-36, .471, 13.0
Scranton/W-B (Yankees), 31-37, .456, 14.0
*Columbus (Guardians), 30-36, .455, 14.0
Buffalo (Blue Jays), 31-38, .449, 14.5
*Jacksonville (Marlins), 30-37, .448, 14.5
Toledo (Tigers), 30-38, .441, 15.0
*Indianapolis (Pirates), 29-38, .433, 15.5
*Gwinnett (Stripers), 29-39, .426, 16.0
Syracuse (Mets), 28-40, .412, 17.0
*Does not include Sunday’s result.
