Orioles minor league recap 6/8: Holliday and Willems homer for Aberdeen

There wasn’t much primo pitching to find down on the farm, but the offenses made up for that in spades.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides vs Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railraiders, postponed

The poor air quality on the east coast once again pushed back the start of the Tides series in Scranton-Wilkes Barre. These two teams are hoping to get things going later today, but it’s unclear if conditions will improve enough by then to make that possible.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 8, Erie SeaWolves 7 (Tigers)

The entire Bowie lineup contributed to this win. Every starter got on base at least once, combined for 14 hits and five walks. John Rhodes was the tip of the spear with three hits, including two doubles, two runs, and two RBI. Cesar Prieto added three singles. Shayne Fontana drove in three runs. Fontana, Billy Cook, and TT Bowens all had doubles.

Carlos Tavera started and tossed four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits, four walks, and two strikeouts. Houston Roth got the win after his three innings and serving up four runs on five hits, including three home runs. Ofreidy Gómez snagged the save after tossing two scoreless innings.

High-A: Asheville Tourists (Astros) 8, Aberdeen IronBirds 6

Obligatory Jackson Holliday update first: The shortstop batted second and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two walks. His OPS with Aberdeen is 1.035. He’s good!

Creed Willems also went deep, his second at this level. Jud Fabian doubled twice, walked twice, scored thrice, and stole a base just once. Max Wagner had a single, two walks, and a stolen base. Dylan Beavers doubled and walked.

It was a mixed bag of pitching performances. Jean Pinto allowed three runs in three innings. Ignacio Feliz took the loss after giving up a three-run homer in his two-inning appearance. And Carson Carter coughed up a run in his lone frame. But Reese Sharp looked good, striking out three over two scoreless. And Keagan Gillies was perfect for his one inning.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 9, Down East Wood Ducks (Rangers) 7

There was oodles of offense up and down the Delmarva lineup. Every starter got on board with either a hit or a walk at least once, and they went 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Elio Prado hit his fourth homer, a solo shot. Carter Young had a double and a triple, plus two RBI. Ramon Rodriguez, Stiven Acevedo, and Anderson De Los Santos had two hits apiece. Isaac Bellony added his third double for Delmarva.

Moises Chace made it through four innings as the starter, giving up three runs but also striking out six. Alfred Vega took the win after his 2.1 scoreless innings, which included four strikeouts. Alejandro Mendez earned a hold despite a tough outing (1.1 innings, four runs, one hit, three walks, two strikeouts). And Yaqui Rivera recorded a save with 1.1 innings and two strikeouts.

Box Scores

Thursday’s Schedule

• Norfolk: at Scranton Wilkes Barre, 6:35. SP: TBD
• Bowie: at Erie, 6:05. SP: Justin Armbruester (3-1, 1.62 ERA)
• Aberdeen: vs Asheville, 7:05, SP: Daniel Lloyd (1-2, 4.96 ERA)
• Delmarva: vs Down East, 7:05, SP: Wyatt Cheney (2-4, 4.88ERA)
• DSL Orange, DSL Black, and FCL teams also play today