Wednesday at Harbor Park: Tides 4, Durham 3

A solid performance by starter Dave Hernandez and a big first inning Thursday night helped Norfolk earn its eighth consecutive victory. The Tides (9-4) banged out five hits and took a 3-0 lead in the first. Durham would tie the game in the sixth inning on Matt Joyce's two-run double, but Justin Christian smacked an RBI single in the bottom half as Norfolk reclaimed the lead, helping Hernandez pick up his first victory.

Adventure in the Outfield

Before this week, the Tides carried three outfielders - the minimum. When Lou Montanez was recalled by Baltimore this week, Norfolk manager Gary Allenson was forced to get creative to fill the vacancy left in right field.

Allenson picked Oscar Salazar, a versatile corner infielder, to replace Montanez.

It seemed only a matter of time before Salazar would encounter trouble.

He did when he misjudged Joyce's line drive in the sixth inning. Salazar started to drift toward home plate, but was forced to retreat when the ball flew over his head.

"We're not going to catch everything out there," Norfolk manager Gary Allenson said. "You have to do the best you can."

Back in the swing of things

Catcher Matt Wieters returned to the Tides' lineup as a designated hitter. Wieters, the Baltimore organization's top prospect, missed four games after suffering a right hamstring cramp Friday against Gwinnett that caused a brief panic among Orioles fans.

"I felt pretty good," he said after going 1 for 4. "The hamstring felt great."

Wieters is the most ballyhooed Tides player since native son David Wright played 31 games here in 2004.

In his first at-bat, Wieters punched a single into center field; he would later score during the Tides' three-run outburst.

"He got a hit that looked good," Allenson said. "But he didn't look that great going from first to third. Then again, he's not Willie Wilson."

Wieters will start at catcher tonight.

Reimold has more than power

Nolan Reimold is starting to grab attention, too.

The left fielder, who was named the International League Player of the Week on Monday, has hit .420 with three home runs and 15 RBIs.

"We wouldn't be 9-4 without his bat," Allenson said.

On Thursday, he went 2 for 3, smacking a ball against the left field wall for a double in the third inning and hitting a single to right field in the fifth.

A slugger capable of tape-measure home runs, Reimold's on-base percentage is .483, the fourth highest average in the league.

"I am trying to be a more complete hitter," Reimold said. "This has probably been the best start I've had."

- Rainer Sabin