After the rain, two Orioles minors teams played Sunday doubleheaders. Both of them swept, while Norfolk and Aberdeen took a loss.
Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 4, Norfolk Tides 0
It was a sleepy day for the Norfolk offense except for one Adley Rutschman, who reached base twice on a single and a walk. With a .300 average to his name in Triple-A thus far, Rutschman’s steady march through the minors continues. Richie Martin (.272/.344/.444) had three hits on Sunday but the Tides couldn’t drive him in. Rylan Bannon doubled and Yusniel Díaz (.960 OPS) reached once with a walk.
It was a weird bullpen game for the Tides, whose Kevin Smith pitched just one scoreless inning, with two strikeouts and two walks. Tim Naughton threw one, as well, taking the loss with a second inning to forget where he allowed two runs on a HBP and a walk. Blaine Knight (8.24 ERA) delivered needed long relief, with five innings in which he allowed eight hits and two runs. Marcos Diplan pitched a clean ninth.
Double-A: Bowie Baysox 4, Harrisburg Senators 0 (Game 1 – 7 innings)
What a day for Bowie’s Garrett Stallings (2-2, 2.63 ERA). He pitched a six-inning gem, allowing zero hits, two walks and striking out five. Since minors doubleheaders are still seven innings, you wonder whether, at 75 pitches, Stallings should have been allowed to close out the show? Well, he wasn’t. But Morgan McSweeney didn’t spoil the party and pitched a perfect inning himself. It was Bowie’s 11th team no-hitter in history.
A great day for Gunnar Henderson, who had two hits and scored two runs. J.D. Mundy (1-for-2, walk) drove in one and Joey Ortiz and Cody Roberts each hit RBI singles. Jordan Westburg walked twice.
Double-A: Bowie Baysox 2, Harrisburg Senators 1 (Game 2 – 7 innings)
Baysox had lots of baseball to catch up on on Sunday. And catch up they did—in style— sweeping the doubleheader with a 2-1 win in the bottom half. They got more great pitching: Conner Loeprich (0-1, 9.49 ERA) threw three scoreless and whiffed five. Rico Garcia pitched 1.1 scoreless, whiffing four. Nolan Hoffman gave up a run in the sixth to tie the game, but the Baysox pulled ahead for good in the bottom half and Ryan Conroy (2-1, 6.10 ERA) shut the door in the seventh to secure the sweep.
It was a huge day for Joey Ortiz (2-for-3), who scored the Baysox’s first run and drove in the game winner with a solo blast in the bottom of the sixth. The Baysox didn’t need more offense than that, and they didn’t get much more. Henderson and Dylan Harris both singled and Shayne Fontana had two hits.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 4, Brooklyn Cyclones 3 (Game 1 – 7 innings)
Like Bowie, the IronBirds also had a lot of baseball to catch up on. Like Bowie, they also swept their Sunday doubleheader.
The IronBirds jumped out to a quick four-run lead with rallies in the second and third innings. In the second, Jacob Teter (2-for-3, RBI) and John Rhodes (1-for-2, BB) hit back-to-back doubles. Then TT Bowens walked, Donta’ Williams (2-for-2, BB) hit an RBI single and Collin Burns plated a third run with an RBI groundout. In the third, Connor Norby (2-for-3) and Colton Cowser (0-for-1, 2 BB) got aboard and Teter singled in the IronBirds’ fourth and final run.
Aberdeen’s Carlos Tavera (4.42 ERA) pitched a gem, with four scoreless, hitless innings and five strikeouts. The bullpen’s Peter Van Loon pitched two innings and allowed two runs but still got the win, and Wes Robertson allowed one run in the seventh to earn the save.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 5, Brooklyn Cyclones 1 (Game 2 – 7 innings)
In Game Two, the IronBirds again jumped out to an early lead, this time one that was commanding enough that there was no suspense. In the first inning, Cowser and Mayo both walked, then pulled off a double steal. Jacob Teter (1-for-3, 2 RBI) singled them home. In the second inning, more walks, more double steals, more runs: Williams and AJ Graffanino (2-for-2, BB) took free passes and pulled off the double steal again. One run scored on a sac fly off the bat of Norby (1-for-3, RBI), the other on a Colton Cowser single (1-for-3, BB). Billy Cook (1-for-2, BB) added a solo bomb in the fifth, his third.
Connor Gillispie (2-1, 4.74 ERA) pitched three scoreless, allowing just two hits, two walks, and K’ing four. Cade Strowd surrendered a solo homer in two innings but it was good enough to get him the win (2-1, 1.42 ERA). In late-innings relief, Xavier Moore and Clayton McGinness a scoreless inning apiece, McGinness with no hits and 2 K’s.
Low-A: Columbia Fireflies (Royals) 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 3
Shorebirds’ starter Dan Federman (0-4, 8.41 ERA) allowed five runs in the first two innings, all five coming on home runs. Carson Carter and Alex Pham each pitched two innings of relief and allowed one run.
The Shorebirds’ offense couldn’t make this one close, although Noelberth Romero (BA .269, OPS .828) homered, while LF Isaac Bellony and DH Ryan Higgins each doubled and scored. Darell Hernaiz, the Shorebirds’ best hitter right now (BA .318, OPS .968), had an 0-for-4 day.
There are no scheduled MiLB games for Monday.