Zach Britton was effective on the mound Tuesday night for the Norfolk Tides but the offense couldn’t get things going in a 4-0 loss to the Charlotte Knights in front of 4,649 fans at Harbor Park.
Despite taking the loss, Britton (0-1, 1.80) flashed the stuff that made Baseball America rate him as the organization’s top pitching prospect heading into the season. The lefthander allowed just one run on three hits in 5.0 innings of work and was rarely in trouble after a shaky first frame.
The Knights jumped on the board early with a two-out RBI single from Dallas McPherson. Jim Gallagher scored from second base on the play after walking with one out in the frame. Britton nearly got out of the inning unscathed when Dayan Viciedo hit a ball right at Ryan Adams at second base, but the Tides infielder couldn’t handle the hard smash cleanly and was forced to settle for just one out. McPherson followed with his run-scoring single.
That was all the support Dylan Axelrod needed. The Charlotte starter was tremendous in 8.0 shutout innings for the visitors. He scattered three hits on the night and allowed multiple runners to reach base in just one frame while retiring the final 10 batters he faced. He struck out six batters on the night and walked none to pick up his fourth win against one loss.
The Knights added three runs in the 6th inning off reliever Mark Hendrickson. Viciedo hit his 17th home run of the year, a two-run moon blast that landed near the concession stand in left field. McPherson followed with a solo shot to center field.
The Tides and Knights continue their four-game set Wednesday at 7:15. RH Chris Tillman (3-3, 4.17) will take on LH Doug Davis (1-3, 3.00).
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