Concerning news also: Aberdeen’s SP Moisés Chace was taken to the hospital after a collision at first base
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 9, Worcester Red Sox 5
Jackson Holliday watch: The top prospect was on base three times in six plate appearances here, delivering a pair of singles as well as drawing a walk.
The two teams scored two runs apiece in the third inning before Norfolk was able to rattle off seven runs and take a commanding lead. Worcester clawed back a bit later as runs were scored against recently-promoted reliever Kade Strowd and hard-throwing Wandisson Charles, but winning by four is pretty comfortable.
Swiss Army knife player Billy Cook – a prospect if you’re thorough enough in listing guys in the system – opened up the scoring with an RBI single in the third inning. Cook had a pair of hits in the game; he’s OPSing .863 for the Tides. Connor Norby had a hit across four at-bats. Heston Kjerstad pinch hit and was in the game long enough for two at-bats. He had one hit.
Out of Norfolk’s 11 hits, the only one that went for extra bases was one that counted a lot. Onetime 40-man player Terrin Vavra got an at-bat with the bases loaded and he socked a grand slam. Vavra’s salami was his first dinger of the season – he’s only played in nine games.
This was something of a bullpen patch game for the Tides, with starter Tucker Davidson going four innings. Davidson has mostly been a multi-inning reliever before starting two games ago and now again last night. They got six hits off of Davidson and scored two earned runs, which resulted from a Vavra error.
Double-A: Richmond (Giants) 17, Bowie Baysox 10
Samuel Basallo watch: Hit his seventh home run of the season, added a double and a walk. He drove in three of the ten Baysox runs.
This was a donnybrook and Bowie was on the wrong end of it. The Flying Squirrels got their Gashouse Gorillas-like scoring after racking up 16 hits and dropping 10 walks. Baysox starting pitcher Alex Pham absorbed a lot of that damage, surrendering nine runs in four innings to have his ERA inflate to 6.87 for the season.
For the Baysox, although they managed to score ten runs, they had just six hits, so they just couldn’t keep up. Basallo’s fellow catcher, Silas Ardoin, was the designated hitter and leadoff man and he had two hits to drive in four runs. The rest of the guys had a harder time. Jud Fabian and John Rhodes were each 0 for the night. Early-season offensive standout Frederick Bencosme continued a slide with a 1-5 night.
High-A: Jersey Shore (Phillies) 9, Aberdeen IronBirds 5
Keep Aberdeen’s starting pitcher Moisés Chace in your thoughts after this:
Very scary sight in Aberdeen as Aberdeen RHP Moises Chace was just removed from the game on a stretcher.
Collided with runner at first base. Down for a long time before being taken away in an ambulance.
— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@TheVergePod) May 25, 2024
The team told beat reporters that Chace is receiving medical care but did not provide a further update on Friday night.
Two errors by Aberdeen turned into five unearned runs for the BlueClaws – more than the difference in the game.
The IronBirds offense out-hit their Jersey Shore opponents here, 13-10. They had a total of 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position but getting hits in five of them wasn’t enough to get a win. Of interest for the top prospect watchers, last year’s first round pick, Enrique Bradfield Jr., grabbed three hits, including a double, and stole his 22nd base. Bradfield has his OPS up to .750. Fellow 2023 draftee Tavian Josenberger – drafted as an outfielder but playing second base last night – also had two hits and drove in a pair of runs.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 1, Columbia (Royals) 0 (10 innings)
Nine innings did not prove to be enough baseball for either one of these teams to score a run. They had to get the Manfred Man involved. Shorebirds pitcher Isaac Solano, a 22-year-old 6’6” righty, was able to overcome having the bases loaded with two outs and kept the Fireflies from scoring.
Delmarva entered the bottom of the tenth having picked up just three hits. Normally, that’s a tough way to win. The fifth Shorebirds hit was the one that got them the win, with outfielder Kevin Guerrero getting the walkoff single after the Shorebirds had loaded the bases with two outs. Guerrero had two hits on the game – fellow outfielder Thomas Sosa, maybe the most interesting position player on this roster due to his age and relative performance, hit a double and drew two walks.
Four Shorebirds pitchers combined on this shutout, with an undrafted free agent from last year, Trey Gibson, doing the most work. Gibson got the start and pitched 4.2 scoreless, scattering three hits while striking out six batters.
Bonus Florida Complex League
The FCL Orioles lost to the Pirates, 7-4. They’ve lost a lot of games; they’re 4-11. Of interest in this one, though, is that shortstop prospect Luis Almeyda, the top international amateur signing by the O’s a year ago, homered for the second straight game. He’s improved after a rough first week or so.
Saturday’s Scheduled Games
- Norfolk: at Worcester, 4:05. Starter: Cade Povich
- Bowie: vs. Richmond, 6:35. Starter: Cameron Weston
- Aberdeen: vs. Jersey Shore, 7:05. Starter: Edgar Portes
- Delmarva: vs. Columbia, 7:05. Starter: Blake Money