Delmarva threw a no-hitter in the only nine-inning game on the farm, but attention turned to Chayce McDermott’s elbow on a night with three doubleheaders.
Triple-A: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) 4, Norfolk Tides 1 – Game 1
Chayce McDermott put together a solid outing before a sudden exit in the sixth inning. MASN’s Roch Kubatko reported that McDermott left the game with right elbow discomfort. The 26-year-old limited Jacksonville to two earned runs (only one earned) over 5.1 innings, but the attention quickly turned to the injury.
McDermott, Baltimore’s third ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, hoped to contribute to the big league club at some point this year. He missed the start of the season with a lat strain.
Cíonel Pérez replaced McDermott and allowed four straight hitters to reach. The Orioles would love for Pérez to emerge as a candidate to replace Bryan Baker at some point in the second half, but things still look dicey for the left-hander.
Heston Kjerstad evened the score at one with a base hit in the sixth inning. Kjerstad finished 1-for-2 with a walk in the seven-inning contest. Samuel Basallo posted the same line while handling the catching duties. Jeremiah Jackson doubled in two of his three at bats, and Dylan Beavers finished 1-for-4 from the leadoff spot.
Triple-A: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) 5, Norfolk Tides 1 – Game 2
Preston Johnson allowed three runs in the first inning of a bullpen game for Norfolk. Nate Webb followed and allowed a pair of runs over two innings of work.
Keagan Gillies danced around a pair of hits in a scoreless inning. Meanwhile, Matt Bowman and Kade Strowd both tossed scoreless frames. Bowman and Strowd figure to play a part in Baltimore’s bullpen again at some point this season, and the loss of Baker (and potentially others) should only serve as motivation for the Norfolk relievers.
Silas Ardoin scored Norfolk’s only run with a solo homer in the third inning. Ardoin finished 2-for-3.
Kjerstad and Beavers both went hitless. Emmanuel Rivera, Terrin Vavra, and Jackson all singled. Basallo did not play in Game 2.
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 8, Reading Fightin’ Phils (Phillies) 0 – Game 1
Chesapeake took it to the Fightin’ Phils in Game 1. Reed Trimble and Creed Willems got the party started with back-to-back jacks in the bottom of the first. Trimble finished the first contest 2-for-3 with 4 RBIs.
Adam Retzbach recorded a multi-hit game that featured a solo homer. Enrique Bradfield Jr. doubled, walked, and scored twice with an RBI. Max Wagner added a double and a walk in three trips.
Levi Wells looked sharp once again with six strikeouts over four shutout innings. Nick Richmond, Carter Rustad and Juan De Los Santos all did their part to secure a shutout victory.
Double-A: Reading Fightin’ Phils (Phillies) 9, Chesapeake Baysox 1 – Game 2
Reading got its revenge with an eight-run victory of its own in Game 2. Willems scored on a wild pitch to bring the Baysox within two in the fourth inning, but the Fightin’ Phils scored six runs in the top of the fifth.
Trey Gibson allowed three runs (two earned) over 3.2 innings. Riley Cooper served up a majority of the damage, but Penn State product Kyle Virbitsky tossed two scoreless in mop-up duty.
Willems and Trimble recorded Chesapeake’s only two hits in Game 2. Bradfield Jr. did not play in the second contest.
High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 2, Aberdeen IronBirds 0 – Game 1
A two-run fourth made all the difference in Game 1. Jacob Cravey turned in a respectable 5.1 innings with only one of the two runs counting as earned. Cravey, a sixth-round pick in 2023, allowed five hits and struck out three.
Vance Honeycutt doubled and struck out twice. Griff O’Ferrall singled in three trips, and Leandro Arias did the same. Austin Overn and Tavian Josenberger both went hitless.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 8, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 7 – Game 2
The second game proved to be much more fun. Aberdeen exploded for eight runs and held off a late rally by Jersey Shore. Anderson De Los Santos captured the lead with a two-run double in the first, but a majority of the damage came in a five-run fourth.
With the IronBirds trailing by 3, De Los Santos smacked a solo homer. Aneudis Mordán trimmed the deficit to one with an RBI-single, and Overn gave the IronBirds the lead with a two-run triple. De Los Santos, Overn, and O’Ferrall combined for six of Aberdeen’s eight hits.
Overn scored a key insurance run on a sacrifice fly by Aron Estrada in the sixth inning.
Aberdeen starter Luis De León allowed five runs on five hits in four innings.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 2, Fayetteville Woodpeckers 1 (Astros)
Delmarva only played one game yesterday, but it sure made it count. Starter Jack Crowder and three relievers combined for a no-hitter in the only nine-inning contest on the farm last night.
Crowder struck out eight and walked three. A walk, a fielder’s choice, and a throwing error actually allowed Fayetteville to take a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
The Shorebirds nearly found a way to lose without allowing a hit, but the offense came to life in the top of the ninth. Elis Cuevas hit a leadoff single and stole second to put the tying run in scoring position. Edwin Amparo sat dead red on a 3-0 fastball and smacked a go-ahead, two-run homer to five the Shorebirds a late lead.
Adrián Delgado, Joe Glassey, and Deivy Cruz saw the no-hitter through. Glassey earned the win in relief, and Cruz notched the save.
Friday’s Schedule
Norfolk: at Jacksonville, Starter: Thaddeus Ward (6-6, 6.51 ERA)
Chesapeake: vs Reading, Game 1, 4:05 pm. Starter: Blake Money (4-3, 4.64 ERA)
Aberdeen: v. Jersey Shore, Game 1, 4:35 pm. Starter: Zach Fruit (0-0, 0.00)
Delmarva: at Fayetteville, 6:35 pm. Starter: Carson Dorsey (0-1, 12.71 ERA)