Chris Vallimont’s strong start, Josh Lester’s 11th home run carry league-leading Norfolk Tides past Syracuse

Chris Vallimont turned in a solid start and Josh Lester went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs to lead the Norfolk Tides to a 3-0 victory over Syracuse on Wednesday night at Harbor Park.

Vallimont matched a season-high with seven strikeouts and allowed four hits and walked one over 5⅔ innings. Vallimont put together his third outing with at least four scoreless innings and improved to 2-0.

Three relievers — Darwinzon Hernandez, Eduard Bazardo, Nick Vespi — combined to preserve the shutout for the Tides, who own the best record (30-10) along with the lowest ERA in the International League (3.64).

Maverick Handley scored on an error in the third inning, and Lester added an RBI single in that frame. Lester then hit his 11th home run of the season — a solo shot that landed in the Party Deck beyond the right-field wall in the sixth inning.

The Tides and Mets continue their series Thursday at Harbor Park with a 12:05 p.m. game. Right-hander Denyi Reyes (0-0, 5.91) is Syracuse’s scheduled starter, while Norfolk did not name a starter as of Wednesday night.