Orioles minor league recap 7/27: Wagner loads up stat sheet in Aberdeen doubleheader

There was plenty of power to be found at all levels of the Orioles minor league system on Wednesday night, but not as much pitching prowess.

Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 5, Norfolk Tides 3 — F/7

The Tides outhit the visiting Sounds 9-7, but they went just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. They were on the comeback trail, having scored twice in the bottom of the seventh, before rain ended the game after seven innings.

Connor Norby, Heston Kjerstad, and Daz Cameron notched one RBI apiece. Norby’s lone hit was a triple. César Prieto also had a three-bagger. Lewin Díaz was the only Tide with a multi-hit performance (2-for-3, double, run). Coby Mayo went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

Norfolk starter Garrett Stallings cruised through the first three innings. A solo homer in the fourth ruined his scoreless outing, and then things went off the rails a bit in the fifth, when he gave up a three spot. Over 4.1 innings Stallings allowed four runs on five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Kyle Dowdy did well in relief, cleaning up Stallings’ mess and then tossing a perfect sixth. Joey Krehbiel allowed a solo homer in his only inning.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 6, Somerset Patriots (Yankees) 5

The bases were constantly clogged with Baysox in this game as their lineup compiled eight hits and nine walks. Greg Cullen and Jud Fabian had the big blows, each hitting a two-run homer; Cullen’s in the fourth and Fabian’s in the eighth. Cullen, Shayne Fontana, and Joseph Rosa worked two walks each. Billy Cook singled and stole two bases. Jackson Holliday was 2-for-4 with a double.

Ryan Long had a tough start for Bowie. He constantly had someone on base behind him. Ultimately, the 6-foot-6 righty allowed four runs on six hits, three walks, and three strikeouts over 3.1 innings. But the bullpen had a nice day. Conner Loeprich struck out three over 1.2 shutout innings. Jean Pinto took the win with his three innings in which he allowed a run on two hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. And then Nolan Hoffman notched the save with a clean ninth.

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 4, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 2 — Game 1

It was one heck of a pitching performance from a trio of Aberdeen arms. Jared Beck started and allowed just one earned run over four innings. Ryan Hennen took the middle innings, keeping Jersey Shore off the board in the fifth and sixth. And then Dan Hammer wrapped things up with two strikeouts to close it out.

Max Wagner provided the power with his 10th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning. Dylan Beavers and Maxwell Costes had an RBI each. Luis Valdez loaded up the stat sheet with two doubles, two runs scored, and a stolen base, his 38th of the year.

High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 3, Aberdeen IronBirds 2 — Game 2

A disappointing loss for the IronBirds. The offense went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and the defense made three errors, one of which led to the winning run coming home.

Wagner had himself a big game. The third baseman notched four hits, including a double, and stole two bases, bringing his season total to an impressive 25. Beavers showed off his patience with three walks. Elio Prado had their only RBI, a fourth-inning single. The other run scored on a throwing error by Jersey Shore’s catcher.

There were some positives to take away from the pitching performance. Juan Nuñez struck out six over his four innings while allowing two runs on five hits and two walks. Dylan Heid struck out three over two scoreless frames. And Graham Firoved was saddled with the loss. The winning run got aboard due to a Frederick Bencosme error, and walked off with the win on a single just a few batters later.

Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 3

Kannapolis did almost all of its damage in the very first inning. With Wyatt Cheney on the mound, eight hitters came to the plate and scored four runs on five hits, including a three-run homer. Cheney quieted the opposing offense for the two innings that followed before serving up one more run in the fourth. Juan De Los Santos was terrific in relief. Over four innings he kept Kannapolis off the board, struck out four, and walked two.

The Shorebirds had plenty of action on the bases with 10 hits and two walks. Brayan Hernández had their only extra-base hit, a home run in the third inning. Erison Placencia had a game-high three hits. Carter Young and Angel Tejada had two hits apiece. Young also stole two bases.

Box Scores

Thursday’s Schedule

• Norfolk: vs Nashville, 12:05. SP: TBD
• Bowie: at Somerset, 7:05. SP: TBD
• Aberdeen: at Jersey Shore, 7:05. SP: Trace Bright (1-3, 4.26 ERA)
• Delmarva: at Kannapolis, 7:00. SP: Edgar Portes (5-2, 3.59 ERA)
• DSL Orange, DSL Black, and FCL teams also play today