Sunday night at Harbor Park: Tides 3, Columbus 2

Oscar Salazar stood 90 feet from home and there were two outs in the ninth inning. As Norfolk catcher Chris Heintz stepped to the plate in the ninth inning, there was tension in the air at Harbor Park on Sunday. On Columbus reliever Jim Ed Warden’s fourth pitch, Heintz smacked a groundball that third baseman William Bergolla snagged before whirling and firing to first baseman Larry Broadway. The throw was high and late, and Heintz breathed a sigh of relief before being greeted by a pack of his teammates.

“Tonight was my turn and I am thankful to get a big knock in that situation,” Heintz said. “I just happened to get enough on it.”

Pick three

Either they were the result of Craig Anderson’s guile, Columbus’ carelessness on the basepaths, or a combination of both, but the three pickoffs that the Norfolk Tides’ starter pulled off in the first three innings Sunday were impressive.

Anderson, a lefthander, lured Emilio Bonifacio, Larry Broadway and Ed Rogers into a trap with his slow, deliberate delivery to the plate.

“That was just him throwing over there on his own,” Heintz said. “We knew they were going to be aggressive on the basepaths. They have guys who can run. I guess he guessed right and he really helped us out.”

In each instance, Anderson recorded the final out of the inning when he caught Bonifacio, Broadway and Rogers drifting off the base where they were stationed. But he was only credited with two pickoffs that were added to his season total of five.

“We were picking over a lot and a few times it worked,” said Anderson, who scattered eight hits in six innings. “I don’t think I have a very good pickoff move. I was just able to read the runners.”

Hot, hot, hot

Chris Roberson usually is smiling. So it’s difficult to decipher his true feelings about his performance in the previous game just by examining his expression on his face. But recently Roberson has been beaming for a reason. Entering Sunday, the rail-thin outfielder with a strong arm was batting .613 in his last eight games. And during one game against Rochester on July 20, Roberson went 5-for-5.

Before he began the torrid stretch, Roberson had been mired in an awful slump. He had produced only one hit in his previous 29 at-bats.

“Usually the second half has been my half,” said Roberson, who went 0-for-4 on Sunday. “I’m kind of riding it out. If I can keep the same approach everyday I will be all right.”

Back down on the farm

Radhames Liz didn’t make the most of his opportunity to impress the Baltimore Orioles during his second stint in the major leagues, and as a result he is headed back to Norfolk.

Liz was optioned Sunday to the Tides (47-61) after going 4-3 with 7.47 ERA in 10 starts with the Orioles after being called up in May.

Liz should bolster a Tides’ starting rotation that has been in a constant state of flux as Baltimore has plucked some of Norfolk’s best pitchers from the minors.

“He will get a chance to work on things,” said Tides manager Gary Allenson, who acknowledged he didn’t know whose spot in the starting rotation Liz will take. “He’s now down here to get things straightened out.”

Columbus (RHP Tyler Clippard, 6-7, 4.18 ERA) vs. Tides (RHP Hayden Penn, 4-6, 5.17 ERA) at Harbor Park at 7:15 p.m.

Rainer Sabin, 757-446-2367 or rainer.sabin@pilotonline.com