Orioles minor league recap 6/30: Westburg stays hot, Prieto hits slam

Home runs up and down the system, Norfolk is firing on all cylinders, and Ryan Watson continues to impress with Bowie.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 9, Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) 5

The Norfolk lineup continued its recent impressive run. Terrin Vavra had three hits out of the leadoff spot, including two doubles. Jordan Westburg! doubled, homered, and drove in three runs. GUNNAR HENDERSON managed just one hit, but he also walked and stole a base. Rylan Bannon added a single and a double to drive in three. Kyle Stowers and Yusniel Diaz chipped in a single apiece.

Cody Sedlock started on the bump and delivered five solid innings, allowing three runs on six hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. Marcos Diplán struggled through his inning of work, serving up a pair of runs on two hits and a walk. Rico Garcia and Cole Uvila closed things out, combining for three scoreless innings.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 12, Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) 1

Bowie managed more runs than hits, making the most of their opportunities. That was thanks in large part to Cesar Prieto and J.D. Mundy. Prieto went 2-for-5 with five RBI, including a third-inning grand slam to give the O’s the lead. Mundy had a three-hit day, which included two long balls. The first was a three-run shot in the fifth inning, and the second was a solo job in the seventh. Andrew Daschbach also knocked in a pair of runs with his single. Connor Norby doubled, walked, and scored twice. Colton Cowser was 0-for-2, but he walked twice and scored both times. Hudson Haskin doubled, scored, and drove in a run.

The pitching was similarly dominant. Ryan Watson was tremendous once again. Over six innings, the 6-foot-5 righty gave up just one run on three hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. His season ERA is down to 3.82. Conner Loeprich followed with two scoreless innings, and Shelton Perkins wrapped up things up with a clean, two-strikeout ninth inning.

High-A: Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox) 8, Aberdeen IronBirds 4

All of Aberdeen’s runs came on home runs. Collin Burns led off the bottom of the first inning with his third dong of the year. TT Bowens smacked his fourth in the fourth inning, a two-run shot. And then Billy Cook crushed his fifth round-tripper in the sixth inning. There wasn’t much beyond that. John Rhodes singled, walked, and scored a run. Shayne Fontana, on rehab assignment, stole his second base of the year.

Connor Gillispie got knocked around on the mound. He served up four home runs over his four innings of work. All in all, he allowed five runs on seven hits and four strikeouts. It was a rare setback for a pitcher that had been cruising since some early-season struggles. Carson Carter encountered similar trouble. He allowed three runs on five hits, a walk, and three strikeouts across his 3.2 innings. At least Nick Richmond had a decent outing. He tossed 1.1 scoreless frames, which included nabbing a runner trying to steal home.

Low-A: Fredericksburg Nationals (Nationals) 15, Delmarva Shorebirds 4

The tough times continue for the Shorebirds. Their lineup racked up 13 hits, but went just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Luis Valdez had himself a productive day, collecting four hits, stealing a base, and scoring a run. Heston Kjerstad was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Their lone extra-base hit was a double for Elio Prado. Frederick Bencosme and Roberto Martinez both had two-hit games.

They needed five pitchers to get through eight innings. Several of them struggled mightily, but there were two who had themselves solid outings. Hector Perez, a 26-year-old who has spent time in several organizations, tossed two scoreless innings, striking out two in the process. Alejandro Mendez added 1.2 perfect innings to close the book on the Delmarva pitching staff.

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

Thursday’s Scheduled Games

• Triple-A Norfolk: vs Gwinnett, 12:05 Starting pitcher: Mike Baumann (0-4, 6.52 ERA)
• Double-A Bowie: vs Richmond, 6:35. Starting pitcher: Noah Denoyer (0-1, 1.72 ERA)
• High-A Aberdeen: vs Winston-Salem, 7:05. Starting pitcher: Peter Van Loon (7-0, 2.44 ERA)
• Low-A Delmarva: at Fredericksburg, 7:05. Starting pitcher: TBD