It was not a banner night for offense on the O’s farm. Or pitching, for that matter.
Triple-A: Omaha Storm Chasers (KC) 10, Norfolk Tides 8
The Tides jumped out to a 5-1 lead in this game thanks to a three-run homer by Livan Soto and a two-run shot by Jordyn Adams. But it all evaporated in a disastrous eight-run bottom of the sixth in which the Storm Chasers sent 13 men to the plate. The first nine batters all reached base, on five singles, two doubles, a walk, and an error. Nick Richmond allowed eight of those baserunners, along with six runs, without retiring a batter. Ouch. Richmond came into the game with a 0.00 ERA in five appearances; it’s now 9.53.
The other Norfolk pitchers fared pretty well. Starter Kyle Brnovich allowed two runs in five innings, and Carlos Tavera and Colin Selby combined for three innings of scoreless relief, with Selby striking out the side in the eighth. On offense, Adams collected two hits and seven other Tides hitters had one. Jud Fabian had a nice night with an RBI double and two walks. Coby Mayo singled and walked.
Double-A: Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF) 10, Chesapeake Baysox 0
Oof. The Baysox managed to play an even worse game than the Orioles last night, undone by a combination of horrific pitching and nonexistent offense. On the mound, starter Trace Bright was tagged for four runs in four innings, and three relievers combined to give up six more.
It was nine runs of overkill for the Flying Squirrels, who could’ve settled for one and still gotten the win. The Baysox lineup mustered only five hits, all singles, of which Creed Willems had two. They had only one at-bat with a runner in scoring position all game. Taking a gander at the season batting averages of most of the Chesapeake lineup, it’s not a big surprise. Willems (.244) is the only one of the nine whose average is better than .212. Six are below the Mendoza line. Not an offensive powerhouse, these Baysox.
High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 5, Aberdeen IronBirds 0
You thought Chesapeake couldn’t hit tonight? Just check out the IronBirds, who had a grand total of…one hit. One! That was an Anderson De Los Santos leadoff single in the third — and he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. As a result, Brooklyn pitchers faced the minimum 23 batters until two outs in the bottom of the eighth, when Leandro Arias walked. Notable 2024 draft picks Vance Honeycutt, Griff O’Ferrall, and Ethan Anderson were a combined 0-for-10 with four strikeouts.
Aberdeen starter Blake Money wasn’t exactly money, getting chased in the fifth inning, though he limited the damage to two runs. Also, IronBirds manager Ryan Goll got ejected in the fifth inning. He didn’t miss much.
Low-A: Carolina Mudcats (MIL) 10, Delmarva Shorebirds 1
The Shorebirds’ one run was, sadly, the second most productive offensive performance by an O’s affiliate on this night. They scored it in the top of the second on an Alfredo Velásquez RBI single. At the time it tied the game 1-1, and the score remained that way until the sixth, when Carolina plated nine runs in the span of two innings to turn the game into a laugher.
Keeler Morfe started but pitched only one inning, giving up an unearned run and two walks, before he was removed with a right ring finger sprain, per MLB.com’s Jake Rill. Carter Rustad followed with two scoreless frames, but Yeiber Cartaya allowed three runs in the sixth. All were unearned, thanks to back-to-back errors by right fielder Steven Ondina and the second baseman Velásquez. The Shorebirds made five errors in the game, two by Ondina. Reliever Simon Leandro was tagged for six runs in 1.1 innings.
Saturday’s scheduled games:
- Norfolk: at Omaha, 3:05 PM. Starter: TBD
- Chesapeake: at Richmond, 6:05 PM. Starter: Patrick Reilly (0-1, 2.08)
- Aberdeen: vs. Brooklyn, 7:05 PM. Starter: Nestor German (0-0, 5.40)
- Delmarva: at Carolina, 5:00 PM. Starter: Jacob Cravey (0-0, 0.00)