Game 100: Jumbo Shrimp at Tides

Friday, August 27, 2021–7:05 p.m. ET

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (56–43) at Norfolk Tides (39–58)

Harbor Park — Norfolk, Va.

LAST TIME OUT:

Dustin Fowler had a breakout day at the plate for the Jumbo Shrimp, finishing a triple shy of the cycle and helping Jacksonville to a 4–3 victory over Norfolk. Fowler tied the game with a solo home run in the fourth inning, and then pushed the go-ahead run across in the eighth with an RBI double. Brian Miller, Justin Twine, and J.D. Osborne also enjoyed two-hit games. Jake Fishman earned the win in relief, allowing one run over three innings. Tommy Eveld came on in the ninth and stranded the tying and winning runs on base to earn the save.

Dustin Fowler hit his first Jumbo Shrimp home run, Thursday, as part of a three-hit game at the plate (Joey Mims/Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp)

GAME INFO:

The Shrimp and Tides face off in game four of their six-game series tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Harbor Park. This season, Jacksonville is 19–8 against the Tides in head-to-head play, and has outscored Norfolk 129–96. Jacksonville has a chance to win the series with a victory tonight, after locking up the season series yesterday.

MEET THE TIDES:

Norfolk is the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Tides enter with a 39–58 record and are sixth in the Southeast Division.

Norfolk is managed by Gary Kendall, who returns for his second season with the Tides. Before joining the Tides in 2019, Kendall was the manager for the Bowie Baysox for eight seasons, setting the franchise managerial record for career wins at 570. Kendall led the Baysox to three postseason appearances, including the franchise’s lone Eastern League Championship in 2015.

Norfolk, like Jacksonville, is a very big Navy town, which is why the regular season series between these two teams has been dubbed “The Navy Town Showdown.” As the winner of the series, Jacksonville will receive a ship’s bell as a trophy, presented by Geico Military.

Since the last time Jacksonville faced Norfolk, the Orioles promoted catcher Adley Rutschman to Triple-A. Rutschman is ranked as the №1 prospect in all of Minor League Baseball, and was selected by the Orioles in 2019 as the №1 overall pick out of Oregon State University.

Richie Martin reached base all four times in the game on Thursday, hitting a two run home run to give Norfolk the lead in the second, and then adding a pair of walks and a double. Martin also started a double-play with a glove flip to second base in the fifth inning that ended up as №8 on SportsCenter’s top-10 plays this morning.

PITCHING MATCHUP:

RHP Nick Neidert (6–1, 2.06 ERA)

Nick Neidert will make his 10th appearance (ninth start) for Jacksonville tonight. The righty last pitched for the Jumbo Shrimp on August 13, when he tossed a seven-inning complete game in game two of the doubleheader against the Charlotte Knights, allowing just two runs. Neidert pitched most recently for the Marlins on August 19, when he gave up four runs in five innings. The 24-year-old was originally drafted by the Mariners in the second round of 2015 out of high school and was traded to the Marlins as part of the Dee Strange-Gordon deal at the end of 2017. Neidert made his debut last season for Miami and has also made seven appearances (six starts) this year for the Marlins. He is the ninth-ranked prospect in the Marlins system and features a fastball, slider, changeup, curve, and cutter.

RHP Blaine Knight (0–0, 2.25 ERA)

Blaine Knight will make his second Triple-A start tonight for Norfolk. In his first outing last week against Charlotte, Knight gave up one run in four innings of work. He began the season at Double-A Bowie, where he went 3–3 with a 5.04 ERA in 16 outings (11 starts this season), Knight has only gone more than five innings on two occasions. The 25-year-old was a third-round draft pick by the Orioles in 2018 out of the University of Arkansas. The right features a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup.

LINEUP

1. Eddy Alvarez, 2B
2. Monte Harrison, LF
3. Lewin Diaz, DH
4. Lorenzo Quintana, 1B
5. Brian Miller, CF
6. Payton Henry, C
7. Dustin Fowler, LF
8. Bryson Brigman, SS
9. Deven Marrero, 3B

NEWS FROM THE TROUPE:

• Beloit outfielder Victor Victor Mesa is riding an 11-game hitting streak (15–39).

TRIPLE-A SOUTHEAST DIVISION STANDINGS

FISH FAMILY

Here is a look at the other Marlins’ Affiliates:

Low-A: Jupiter Hammerheads (51–46) at Palm Beach (31–65) @ 6:30 p.m. ET

High-A: Beloit Snappers (46–53) vs Cedar Rapids (55–44) @ 7:35 p.m. ET

Double-A: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (50–47) vs Mississippi Braves (58–39) — PPD

MLB: Miami Marlins (53–75) vs Cincinnati Reds (70–59) @ 7:10 p.m. ET

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

Today’s game will be broadcast on the following platforms:

Radio: ESPN 690 AM

Online Stream: MiLB.TV

Phone/Tablet: ESPN690.com, JaxShrimp.com, MiLB First Pitch App