Orioles minor league recap 7/9: Basallo homers, drives in four in Tides win

Norfolk was the only winner Tuesday, as Aberdeen and Delmarva suffered series-opening losses and Chesapeake got rained out.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 9, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) 5

Samuel Basallo and TT Bowens each hit three-run home runs and powered the Tides to a series-opening win in Jacksonville.

Norfolk took an early lead in the top of the 1st after loading the bases on a hit by pitch and two walks. José Barrero forced home the Tides’ first run of the game when he was hit by a pitch and Heston Kjerstad doubled that advantage with a bases-loaded walk.

Jacksonville would score a run each in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd to take a 3-2 lead, and that’s when the fireworks show started for Norfolk. Dylan Beavers and Dylan Carlson both worked one-out walks in the 4th, setting the scene for the Orioles’ top prospect. Basallo pounced on a first-pitch splitter, sending it 419 feet over the center field fence for his 17th long ball of the season.

With the Tides now up 5-3, Bowens would tack on the insurance runs in the 5th. Vimael Machín was hit by a pitch and Emmanuel Rivera walked to give Bowens two on with one out. The Tides 1B took two balls and then jumped on a hanging slider, sending his three-run homer “only” 418 feet to center to blow the game open.

After back-to-back singles from Beavers and Carlson, Basallo would add on Norfolk’s ninth run of the game with an RBI single to right. The MLB’s top catching prospect finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBIs and came up a triple shy of the cycle. Beavers, the Orioles’ next best prospect on the Tides, only finished 1-for-4 but did score three runs. Kjerstad, meanwhile, improved a little on his recent struggles at Norfolk, going 1-for-3 with two walks.

Box Score

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox vs. Reading Fightin Phils (PPD- Rain)

The Baysox and Fightin Phils never got started due to thunderstorms in Bowie. They’ll make up Tuesday’s game as part of a double-header today.

High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 14, Aberdeen IronBirds 3

The Aberdeen pitching staff had no answers for the Blue Claws, as the IronBirds allowed their second-most runs of the season in a loss to Jersey Shore.

The BlueClaws raced out to an early 3-0 lead in the 2nd and never looked back. Jersey shore started the rally with a one-out walk and, after back-to-back singles, held a 1-0 lead. Aberdeen starter Ty Weatherly then hit Elio Prado to load the bases and after another HBP and single, the BlueClaws lead tripled at 3-0.

From there, Jersey Shore scored in every inning from the 4th through the 9th as they punished whatever pitcher Aberdeen brought in. Perhaps the most impressive (or depressing) stat was that the IronBirds gave up 14 runs without giving up an extra-base hit, as the BlueClaws used 14 singles and nine walks to plate 14 runs.

The only offensive standout for Aberdeen was OF Tavian Josenberger, who finished 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored. No one on the IronBirds even picked up an RBI, as their three runs scored via a passed ball and two wild pitches.

Box Score

Low-A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros) 6, Delmarva Shorebirds 2

The Woodpeckers scored six runs combined in the 4th and 5th innings and the Shorebirds couldn’t complete a comeback, dropping the series opener in North Carolina.

Luis Almeyda gave Delmarva an early lead when he connected on his second HR of the season in the 2nd inning. The solo shot from Almeyda gave the Shorebirds a 1-0 lead, as the Orioles’ top prospect from the 2023 class of international prospects provided Delmarva an early spark.

That lead would quickly disappear thanks to a pair of Cam Fisher home runs for the Woodpeckers. Fisher connected on a two-run homer off of Ben Vespi in the 4th to give Fayetteville a 2-1 lead. Then, after a sac fly grew the lead to 3-1 in the 5th, Fisher launched a three-run bomb to right to open up a five-run Fayetteville lead.

Almayeda would pick up his second RBI of the game on a two-out, bases-loaded single in the 6th, but it’d be the last run Delmarva could muster on Tuesday. The Shorebirds never got a runner beyond first base for the rest of the game as Dylan Howard pitched the last four innings to close out the win for Fayetteville.

Box Score

Wednesday’s Scheduled Games

Norfolk Tides at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 7:05pm ET (Chayce McDermott vs. Adam Laskey)

Chesapeake Baysox vs. Reading Fightin Phils, Game 1, 5pm ET (Levi Wells vs. Koyo Aoyagi)

Chesapeake Baysox vs. Reading Fightin Phils, Game 2 (TBD vs. Griff McGarry)

Aberdeen IronBirds vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws, 7:05pm ET (TBD vs. Alex McFarlane)

Delmarva Shorebirds at Fayetteville Woodpeckers, 6:35pm ET (Evan Yates vs. TBD)