The Tides were the lone winners on the O’s farm, with Bowie and Aberdeen both suffering walkoff losses and Delmarva’s pitchers struggling.
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 5, Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 3
The Tides snapped a season-worst three-game losing streak with a comeback win over the Sounds, falling behind 3-0 in the first inning but scoring five unanswered runs the rest of the way. The top two hitters in the lineup, prospects Connor Norby and Heston Kjerstad, combined for five hits, three runs, and two RBIs. Each hit a double, and Kjerstad added a home run, his sixth at Triple-A and 17th of the year overall. He’s hitting .343 with a 1.012 OPS in 36 games for Norfolk. Seems good! Among the other big name prospects in the stacked Tides lineup, Coby Mayo contributed a two-run single, while Joey Ortiz and César Prieto each took 0-fers.
Austin Voth’s first rehab assignment for Norfolk did not go well. He didn’t make it out of the first inning, giving up three runs (two earned), three hits, and a walk. I guess he’s rusty. But the other four Tides pitchers were spotless, combining for 8.1 shutout innings. Chayce McDermott was excellent in bulk relief, giving up just two hits and two runs in five scoreless frames, striking out seven. It was the righty prospect’s third outing since being promoted from Double-A. Erstwhile big leaguers T.J. McFarland, Nick Vespi, and Logan Gillaspie handled the rest of the duties without incident.
Double-A: Somerset Patriots (Yankees) 4, Bowie Baysox 3
The Baysox lost a tough one, blowing a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth before falling in extras. It was a messy ninth inning for righty Kade Strowd, who gave up a leadoff walk, a Josh Breaux two-run homer, and another walk. Keagan Gillies relieved him and issued another walk plus a wild pitch before striking out the side to escape, but he gave up the walkoff RBI single in the 10th. The shaky bullpen cost starter Alex Pham a win after a solid outing: five innings, one run, four hits, three strikeouts, and no walks. Pham lowered his ERA to 1.44 in six games for Bowie.
The Bowie offense put 12 runners on base but struck out a whole lot — 16 times, to be precise — and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Catcher Tim Susnara doubled and homered, but the two best prospects in Bowie’s lineup — Jud Fabian and John Rhodes — each went 0-for-4.
High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 4, Aberdeen IronBirds 3 — 10 inn.
The IronBirds, like the Baysox, took a 4-3, walkoff loss in the 10th, this one on Hao-Yu Lee’s RBI double off Yaqui Rivera that scored the free runner. Before that, though, Aberdeen pitchers had done a solid job. Starter Daniel Lloyd ran his streak to 22 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run before Jared Carr’s RBI single in the second snapped it. Lloyd finished with two runs in four innings, with four strikeouts and no walks. Cameron Weston fared even better, giving up only one run in his four frames. Rivera tossed a scoreless ninth before losing in the 10th.
Aberdeen’s seven hits were all singles. Outfield prospect Dylan Beavers collected an RBI single, as did the two hitters at the bottom of the lineup, Collin Burns and Elio Prado. Designated hitter Max Wagner, after a great doubleheader performance the previous night, went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.
Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 4
A weird fact about this game: despite scoring four runs, the Shorebirds never had an at-bat with a runner in scoring position. Their runs came courtesy of a pair of two-run homers — by Noelberth Romero in the fourth and Trendon Craig in the sixth — each with a runner at first. Carter Young briefly got to second base in the fourth on a single and wild pitch, but he was picked off before the next at-bat was complete.
It wasn’t a good night for the three Shorebirds pitchers. Starter Edgar Portes gave up four runs in as many innings, César Álvarez allowed three in two innings, and Eris Rodríguez surrendered the eighth and final run in his two frames. The only top-30 O’s prospect at this level, catcher Samuel Basallo, went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Friday’s scheduled games:
- Norfolk: vs. Nashville, 6:35 PM. Starter: Cade Povich (Triple-A debut)
- Bowie: at Somerset, 7:05 PM. Starter: TBD
- Aberdeen: at Jersey Shore, 7:05 PM. Starter: Cooper Chandler (5-5, 3.11)
- Delmarva: at Kannapolis, 7:00 PM. Starter: Zack Showalter (0-1, 2.08)