Sometimes, the best-laid plans go right out the window—and for the Norfolk Tides, that meant turning a shortage of starting pitchers into a showcase of resilience. With most of their usual arms called up to the Orioles in New York this weekend, the Tides leaned on a bullpen game against the Nashville Sounds and came away with a gritty 5-2 victory.
Cameron Weston got the start but lasted just two-thirds of an inning after surrendering a solo home run. From there, the Tides' relievers locked in, with Yaqui Rivera leading the way over 3.1 innings of steady work. Nashville didn't score again until a single run in the ninth—too little, too late.
Norfolk wasted no time answering back. After falling behind in the first, they struck for two runs in the second when Willy Vazquez singled home Creed Willems and Ryan Noda. Christian Encarnacion-Strand then crushed his sixth home run of the season to extend the lead, and Sam Huff and Bryan Ramos added RBI hits to keep the momentum rolling.
The bottom of the lineup did the heavy lifting: Ryan Noda, Huff, and Vazquez each collected two hits, while number-nine hitter Ramos reached base with a single and a walk. It was a textbook example of depth winning a ballgame.
Down in Double-A, the Bowie Baysox also turned to a bullpen game, but the results weren't as kind. Juan Rojas started and managed to strike out the side in his lone inning—but also walked four and uncorked a wild pitch, allowing one run. The Baysox used six pitchers total, and Micah Ashman took the loss after giving up two runs in two innings.
Bowie's offense showed some life in the third inning, plating three runs on doubles from Griff O'Farrell and Tavian Josenberger, plus a single from Carter Young and a squeeze bunt by Alfredo Velásquez. But after that outburst, the bats went quiet—just three singles from the fourth through the eighth innings. Frederick Bencosme added a solo homer in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the pitching struggles.
Brandon Butterworth and Ethan Anderson were held hitless at the top of the order, and Aron Estrada struck out on a pitch clock violation in a pinch-hit appearance. Tough night for the Baysox.
In Single-A, the Delmarva Shorebirds faced an even steeper climb: they managed just one hit all night—a second-inning single from Braylin Tavera. That's a recipe for a long game.
Still, starter Yeiber Cartaya deserved better. He pitched five shutout innings, giving his team every chance to compete. Sometimes, baseball just doesn't reward a great outing with a win.