Syracuse Chiefs 8, Norfolk Tides 3

So the Tides came to town this weekend and I managed to see the 4th game of the series on Monday. It was a perfect night for baseball, my first night at the park this season, and my first time watching a game at Alliance Bank Stadium with natural grass. Yep, someone finally woke up and removed the ancient astro turf from the field after years of player and fan complaints.

I love minor league baseball and can't wait for my children to be old enough to enjoy it. These days I'm lucky to get to the park a couple times a year. It'll be nice to be the baseball Dad and take them to a game once a week or so throughout the summer.

On to the game itself! Jon Leicester vs. Kane Davis. Needless to say, it was a good night for the home team.

We know that Leicester is not cut out for pitching in the majors. It is becoming more and more likely that he is not cut out for AAA either. Jon took the loss, giving up 10 hits and 4 ER in 6 innings and is now 2-7 with a 7.03 ERA on the season.

Even worse last night was Esteban Yan. The Tides were in the game when he entered to start the 8th. Only down by 2, they had a legit shot at it. Here's how my scorecard reflects the inning. E-1. BB. E-1. FO-7. E-7. K. FO-7. In his one inning he only gave up 1 hit and all three runs were unearned. But since he walked a guy and two of the errors were his own, I don't feel much sympathy.

That E-7 was Terrero's 2nd of the game as he misplayed a carom off the wall. Earlier in the game he just plain dropped a ball, leading to a run. Luis did redeem himself a bit by throwing out a runner at the plate with a perfect strike. Now, the runner was tagging on a shallow fly ball and never should have been sent. Nevertheless, you couldn't ask for a better throw.

Scott Moore had a decent game, going 2 for 4 with a run scored and Brandon Fahey went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI (all while looking like he's going to fall over each time he swings the bat).

All in all, though, this team is truly a disappointment. I don't mean to begrudge them for giving me a fun evening of minor league baseball, but there isn't a single guy on this team right now (especially now that Liz has been called up) that I'm excited about watching. The Tides are now 21-37 and in last place, 10 games behind first place Durham in the IL Central.

At least the Chiefs are contending for the first time in decades!

Final note: Guess who has this line for the Chiefs this season?

7-0 in 11 games (8 GS); 3.18 ERA; 64 K in 56.2 IP.