It was a winless night for O’s affiliates, who had three losses and a suspended game.
Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 5, Norfolk Tides 4
The Tides carried a 4-2 lead into the ninth before Logan Gillaspie coughed up three runs, resulting in a one-run loss to Nashville. A few veteran big leaguers did the damage, with Luis Urías (brother of Ramón) roping an RBI double to score Monte Harrison before Josh VanMeter clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer. Before Gillaspie got involved, a trio of lefties muffled the Sounds. Starter Drew Rom gave up eight hits but held Nashville to two runs in 5.2 innings, striking out six, while T.J. McFarland and Nick Vespi combined for 2.1 scoreless frames.
Norfolk scored four runs by the fourth inning but was held in check after that. Connor Norby got the game started off right with a leadoff homer, his 14th blast of the year. Joey Ortiz had two hits but was overly aggressive on the basepaths, getting caught stealing twice. Heston Kjerstad walked; César Prieto singled and stole a base. But it was a rough night for Coby Mayo, playing first base. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and also dropped a foul pop-up for an error.
Double-A: Somerset Patriots (Yankees) 10, Bowie Baysox 3
The Orioles’ and Yankees’ Double-A affiliates played a game very similar to their big league counterparts last night, with poor pitching spelling doom for Bowie in a blowout loss. Starter Kyle Brnovich, making his first start for Bowie as he continues his rehab from 2022 Tommy John surgery, gave up four runs in four innings. He walked two and struck out six. Two of the three hits he allowed were homers. It was only a 4-3 game when he left, but six runs against the Baysox bullpen put it out of reach.
The Baysox offense was facing the Yankees’ #8 prospect, Richard Fitts. And he gave them fits. The right-hander fanned 10 batters in six innings, holding Bowie to three runs. All three scored on dingers — a two-run shot by Donta’ Williams in the second and a solo blast by Billy Cook in the fourth. Cook’s was his 13th, five of which have come in July. Among Bowie’s outfield prospects, John Rhodes had one hit while Jud Fabian struck out three times in an 0-for-4 showing.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 1, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 1 — suspended in 4th
The IronBirds were the only O’s affiliate not to lose last night — but only because their game was rained out in the fourth inning, to be completed today. Before the rain arrived, Creed Willems drove in a first-inning run with a single, while starter Brandon Young gave up one run in three innings.
Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) 2, Delmarva Shorebirds 1 — 5 inn.
Bad weather also wreaked havoc on Delmarva’s game in Kannapolis, bringing it to an early end after the fifth inning. As a result, starter Deivy Cruz ended up throwing the Shorebirds’ first complete game of the year — a five-inning complete game, sure, but it still counts. He struck out five and didn’t walk anyone, yielding two runs on six hits. It wasn’t enough for a win, though.
On the offensive side, leadoff man Stiven Acevedo led the team with two hits, including a triple. Left fielder Luis González drove in Delmarva’s only run with a fifth-inning RBI single. Catching prospect Samuel Basallo went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
Sunday’s scheduled games:
- Norfolk: vs. Nashville, 4:05 PM. Starter: TBD
- Bowie: at Somerset, 5:05 PM. Starter: TBD
- Aberdeen: at Jersey Shore, 1:05 PM (completion of suspended game)
- Aberdeen: at Jersey Shore, TBD (Game 2). Starter: Jake Lyons (5-1, 3.21)
- Delmarva: at Kannapolis, 1:00. Starter: Luis De León (0-0, 0.00)