Keagan Gillies posted a scoreless frame in his Triple-A debut, but Chayce McDermott took another loss for Norfolk.
Triple-A: Durham Bulls (Rays) 4, Norfolk Tides 1
Chayce McDermott will likely return to Baltimore at some point this season, but the righty failed to produce a convincing argument on Wednesday. McDermott allowed all four of Durham’s runs in five innings of work. He surrendered a pair of homers before eventually settling down and posting zeros in the fourth and fifth innings. He holds a 7.65 ERA and 1.940 WHIP in the minors this year.
Heston Kjerstad generated Norfolk’s only run, but he failed to record an RBI. Kjerstad hit into a double play with the bases loaded to curb a comeback attempt in the eighth inning. Kjerstad did not record a hit in four trips.
The table-setters did their part in this one. Dylan Beavers finished 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot, and Jeremiah Jackson stayed hot with a 3-for-4 effort. Samuel Basallo went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Keagan Gillies danced around a pair of walks to post a scoreless sixth after a recent promotion. Kade Strowd accomplished a similar feat, while both Colin Selby and Grant Wolfram put up zeros.
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants)
The Baysox secured the only win on the farm last night. Starter Levi Wells did his part with three hits and one run allowed over the first four innings.
Alfredo Velásquez provided Chesapeake a one-run lead after a Jalen Vasquez sac fly. Adam Retzbach gave the Baysox some crucial insurance with an Earl Weaver special in the eighth inning. Retzbach, a 14th-round pick in 2022, finished 2-for-3 with the homer and a walk.
Nate Webb allowed a pair of runs in the eighth inning, but he returned to slam the door in the ninth.
High-A: Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates) 9, Aberdeen IronBirds 5
The IronBirds added a few late runs, but this one was never really close. Starter Luis De León struck out seven over 4.1 innings, but he also allowed four runs on five hits and four walks. Dominic Freeberger and Reese Sharp surrendered the other five runs.
Vance Honeycutt had a three-true-outcomes kind of game but without a long ball. Honeycutt walked twice and struck out in his other three plate appearances.
Leandro Arias impressed at the dish with a homer, a single, and a walk. Arias scored three of Aberdeen’s five runs.
Low-A: Frederickburg Nationals 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 2
Delmarva scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch, but the offense failed to build on the early momentum. The Nationals outhit the Shorebirds 10-5. Nate George and Raylin Ramos combined for four of Delmarva’s five knocks.
Starter Michael Caldon qualified as a brightspot with only three hits and one run allowed over 4.1 innings. Fredericksburg put the game away with five runs in the top of the ninth.
Friday’s Schedule
Norfolk: vs Durham, 6:35 pm. Starter: Thaddeus Ward (6-5, 6.50 ERA)
Chesapeake: at Richmond, 6:35 pm. Starter: Blake Money (3-4, 4.22 ERA)
Aberdeen: at Greensboro, 7:05 pm. Starter: TBD
Delmarva: vs Fredericksburg, 5:05 pm. Starter: Carson Dorsey (0-0, 3.60 ERA)