Orioles minor league recap 5/12: Ryan McKenna hits three home runs in Norfolk

Bowie was the lone winner on the farm thanks to another outstanding start from Ryan Watson and big nights at the plate for Andrew Daschbach and Jordan Westburg.

Triple-A: Memphis (Cardinals) 9, Norfolk Tides 7

Have a day, Ryan McKenna! The up-and-down outfielder smacked three home runs and drove in four runs in the losing effort. It was a tough day at the plate for Adley Rutschman, who played first base and struck out three times. But at least Yusniel Diaz is back and healthy; he singled twice and drove in a run.

Zac Lowther’s nightmare season continues. He cruised through the order once, but got smacked around during his second trip. Ultimately, he lasted only four innings, serving up five earned runs on eight hits, one walk, and six strikeouts in the process. Conner Greene delivered two scoreless innings in relief.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 5, Reading (Phillies) 1

Ryan Watson is a name that has popped up this year, and each start that goes by makes him seem like someone worth paying attention to long term. He was terrific again, tossing five innings and striking out six while allowing just one run on four hits and a walk. His season ERA is down to 2.28. The bullpen was terrific behind him. Rico Garcia struck out four over three perfect frames. And then Morgan McSweeney worked around three walks to throw one shutout inning.

You will be sad to know that Gunnar Henderson went 0-for-3 in this game, but he did walk twice. Instead, it was Andrew Daschbach leading the offense with a 2-for-2 game that included a three-run homer and two walks. Jordan Westburg had a big night himself, recording two doubles, two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI. Joey Ortiz added a double and a single.

High-A: Hudson Valley (Yankees) 6, Aberdeen IronBirds 5

Colton Cowser continues to dig out of his early-season hole. He went 1-for-3 here with a double, two walks, three runs scored, and no strikeouts. Collin Burns did the heavy lifting for the Aberdeen bats. He went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, 4 RBI, and a run scored. Coby Mayo was 0-for-4 with an RBI. Cesar Prieto returned from the IL and went 1-for-3.

The only IronBirds pitcher to have a solid day was starter Houston Roth. He allowed two runs on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts over 5.2 innings. Roth was ultimately saddled with the no decision as the bullpen combination of Rickey Ramirez and Nick Roth gave up four runs over their 2.1 innings of work.

Low-A: Salem (Red Sox) 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 4

Dan Hammer (great name!) started for the Shorebirds and immediately gave up a four spot in the first inning, including a pair of home runs. But he settled down from there and delivered three scoreless innings afterward, striking out five on the day. Alejandro Mendez was first out of the ‘pen, serving up a run in his lone inning of work. And then Ryan Long took over and did a great job to keep Salem off the board over his four frames.

Delmarva scored four times despite recording just one hit, a two-run single off the bat of Issac Bellony in the seventh inning. Everything else was the result of walks. The lineup worked nine base on balls. Bellony, Darell Hernaiz, and Isaac De Leon each had two apiece. Creed Willems, an eighth-round pick last year, went 0-for-4 with one strikeout.

Box scores for Wednesday’s games can be found here.

Thursday’s Scheduled Games

• Triple-A Norfolk: vs Memphis, 12:05. Starting pitcher: Grayson Rodriguez (2-1, 3.33 ERA)
• Double-A Bowie: at Reading, 6:45. Starting pitcher: Antonio Velez (0-2, 5.59 ERA)
• High-A Aberdeen: at Hudson Valley, 7:05. Starting pitcher: Justin Armbruester (0-0, 3.10 ERA)
• Low-A Delmarva: vs Salem, 7:05. Starting pitcher: Conor Grady (1-1, 7.00 ERA)