Orioles minor league recap 7/3: Mayo blasts 18th HR, collects 5 RBIs in Tides loss

The Tides lost a thrilling, high-scoring affair, the Baysox pitched a shutout and Aberdeen and Delmarva were each held to one run in losses

Triple-A: Durham Bulls (Rays) 13, Norfolk Tides 12

After being behind by as much as six runs, the Tides tied the game in the eighth only to give up the winning run in the ninth. The Bulls got out to a fast start, scoring three runs in the top of the first and another run in the second. Trailing 4-0, the Tides offense awakened in the bottom of the second. Coby Mayo led off the inning with a solo shot, blasting his 18th HR of the season over the left field fence.

After a Daniel Johnson walk, Garrett Cooper hit the second home run of the inning to make things 4-3. With one out, Hudson Haskin and Connor Pavolony hit back-to-back doubles to tie the game at four. The fifth and final run of the inning came when Pavolony raced home on a wild pitch.

That 5-4 lead was short lived as Durham scored in a run each in the third, fourth and fifth before exploding for five runs in the top of the sixth. Trailing 12-6, Norfolk once again turned to their big bats to get back in the game. After Jackson Holliday and Connor Norby got into scoring position in the sixth, Mayo laced a single into center to bring both home and cut the deficit to four.

In the eighth, Holliday and Norby led off the inning with back-to-back singles and then advanced on a wild pitch. Consecutive RBI ground outs from Kyle Stowers and Mayo cut the Durham lead down to 12-10. Johnson and Cooper then gave an encore performance from the second inning, as Johnson reached on a single and Cooper hit his second homer of the game to tie things at 12.

Norfolk couldn’t keep Durham off the scoreboard in the ninth, as C.J. Hinojosa led off the inning with a double and then came home to score the winning run on a double from Jake Mangum. Holliday and Norby tried to spark another rally with two outs in the ninth—with Holliday walking and Norby singling—but Stowers left the tying run at second when he struck out to end the game. The loss shouldn’t distract from the excellent game by Mayo, who finished 3-4 with a HR and five RBIs. The 22-year-old is now hitting .400 with a .800 slugging percentage since he returned to Norfolk from injury on June 18.

Box Score

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 3, Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) 0

Kyle Brnovich and the Bowie bullpen combined to shut out the Flying Squirrels in a dominant pitching display. Brnovich—who came to the Orioles with Kyle Bradish in the Dyaln Bundy trade—put up his fifth scoreless outing of the season, throwing five innings while limiting Richmond to three hits and striking out four. The 26-year-old was coming off a June where he struggled somewhat, putting up a 4.05 ERA over 20 innings in five starts. It’s also a bit of revenge for Brnovich against Richmond, which had scored nine earned runs over 7.1 innings in two previous matchups with Brnovich.

Dylan Heid gave Bowie three shutout innings out of the bullpen, holding the Flying Squirrels hitless from the sixth through the eighth. The three innings is tied for the longest outing of the season for the former 11th-round draft pick. Dan Hammer pitched a scoreless ninth for the save, fanning two Flying Squirrels to seal the win.

Offensively, the heart of the Baysox lineup all contributed in the win. The 2 through 5 hitters in the Bowie lineup all picked up a hit, with Matthew Etzel leading the way after going 2-3 with a triple, RBI and walk. Etzel’s RBI groundout in the bottom of the first got the Baysox out to an early 1-0 lead, scoring Dylan Beavers from third after his triple. Bowie tacked on two more runs in the fifth after loading the bases on a pair of walks and a Samuel Basallo double. Frederick Bencosme made things 2-0 after an RBI single, and the third run scored when John Rhodes grounded into a double play.

Box Score

High-A: Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates) 6, Aberdeen IronBirds 1

The Grasshoppers exploded for five runs in the third, and the IronBirds bats couldn’t keep up in the loss. Jackson Baumeister looked like he was in for a dominant afternoon, as the 2023 draft pick cruised through the first two innings without allowing a hit. However, in the top of the third, Baumeister walked the first two hitters he faced and then gave up a single to load the bases. Jack Brannigan then doubled to bring home two runs, and then Nick Cimillo launched a three-run homer to left to open up a 5-0 lead.

Greensboro added another run in the fifth to stretch the lead to six. The Grasshoppers loaded the bases with no outs on two walks and a HBP. Reliever Deivy Cruz then issued his third walk of the inning to force in a run and expand Greensboro’s lead.

Offensively, Aberdeen struggled to get things going all game. Through six innings, the IronBirds only had a pair of singles and were 0-3 with runners in scoring position. Their first promising scoring threat came in the bottom of the seventh. Carter Young led off the inning with a ground-rule double. Nothing came out it, though, as a pop up and two strikeouts saw Young stranded at second.

Aberdeen finally got its only run in the eighth thanks to a lack of control from the Greensboro bullpen. The Shorebirds loaded the bases on a fielder’s choice and two walks and then Tavian Josenberger scored on a wild pitch. Offensively, Enrique Bradfield Jr. led the IronBirds with two hits, picking up a pair of singles.

Box Score

Low-A: Fredericksburg Nationals 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 1

The Shorebirds gave up eight runs in the first three innings and were held to one hit in a lopsided loss to the Nationals. Delmarva starter Nestor German suffered through 2.1 innings due to a lack of control and some shaky defense behind him. Fredericksburg got on the board in the bottom of the first after German uncorked a wild pitch, allowing a runner to advance to third, who scored on a sac fly. The Nationals got two more runs in the second thanks to two fielding errors and another wild pitch.

The wheels then fell off for Delmarva in the bottom of the third. Trailing 3-1, German allowed a walk and a single to give Fredericksburg runners on first and third with one out. At that point, the Shorebirds turned to the bullpen, but Carter Baumler only made things worse. The Orioles’ No. 28 prospect failed to get an out, giving up a pair of singles and a HR as the Nationals tacked four more runs to blow the game open. Jared Beck relieved Baumler and finally got the Shorebirds out of the inning with them trailing by seven runs.

The lone Shorebird hit came from OF Kevin Guerrero, who tripled to center field to in the top of the second. Guerrero then scored on a wild pitch for the Shorebirds’ only run. It was the second game in a row that Guerrero registered an extra-base hit, after he snapped a streak of 15 games without an XBH on Sunday.

Box Score

Wednesday’s scheduled games

Norfolk Tides vs. Durham Bulls, 6:30pm ET. (TBD vs. Jeffrey Springs)

Bowie Baysox vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels, 6:35pm ET. (Seth Johnson vs. Seth Lonsway)

Aberdeen IronBirds vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers, 1:05pm ET. (Preston Johnson vs. Derek Diamond)

Delmarva Shorebirds at Fredericksburg Nationals, 6:05pm ET. (Eccel Correa vs. Jarlin Susana)