Jorge Lopez trade acquisition Cade Povich threw his second straight dominant start for Aberdeen, and Connor Norby and Colton Cowser paced a Baysox win.
Triple-A: Rochester Red Wings (Nationals) 12, Norfolk Tides 5
The Tides were the only Orioles affiliate to lose on Friday, thanks to a poor pitching performance that saw seven hurlers take the mound with little success. Starter Mike Baumann (the Orioles’ #13 prospect on MLB Pipeline) didn’t make it out of the first inning, getting rocked for four hits, four runs, and two walks. Five relief pitchers were scored upon as well. On the bright side, righty Yennier Cano — acquired from the Twins in the Jorge Lopez trade — worked 2.1 innings without allowing an earned run, his first decent outing of his three with Norfolk so far.
At the plate, the Tides had just five hits, one apiece by infield prospects GUNNAR HENDERSON (#2) and Jordan Westburg (#5). Westburg’s hit was a two-run double. Each drew a walk, as well. But it was a disastrous night for outfielders Kyle Stowers (#7) and Yusniel Diaz (#25), each of whom struck out in all four at-bats. The rare double golden sombrero. Ouch! Stowers, at least, mixed in a walk. Diaz did not.
Double-A: Bowie Baysox 6, Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 4
Another day, another win for the scorching hot Baysox, who are now 15-4 to start the second half. The Baysox plated a pair of runs apiece in the third, fourth, and fifth innings to build a 6-0 lead and ultimately held off a late Akron rally. Tonight’s hero was leadoff man Connor Norby (#10 prospect), who blistered four hits — accounting for nearly half of Bowie’s nine — and drove in two runs. Right behind him in the lineup was Colton Cowser (#3), who walked four times. The RubberDucks wanted nothing to do with him, clearly. It was the first four-walk game of Cowser’s professional career, inflating his Double-A OBP to a ridiculous .487. Baysox hitters walked nine times, with catcher Cody Roberts drawing three.
Right-hander Justin Armbruester delivered a quality start — six innings, three runs — to improve to a perfect 3-0 at Bowie. Last year’s 12th-round pick has a 3.98 ERA in nine games at Double-A.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 10, Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 0
A 10-0 romp is always a good time, especially when it’s against a Yankees affiliate. As you might imagine, a lot of things went right for the IronBirds in this one, starting with another brilliant outing by newly acquired Cade Povich (#26). The 22-year-old lefty, acquired in the Lopez trade, worked his second straight outing of six shutout innings and racked up seven strikeouts, giving up three hits and two walks. Povich has now begun his Orioles career with 12 scoreless frames and 15 strikeouts. That’s how you make a first impression! Jean Pinto finished the shutout with three scoreless innings to rack up the save, his second in a row.
Six of the seven strikeouts from Cade Povich tonight. On the year, Povich has 122 K/28 BB in 90.2 IP. pic.twitter.com/xHId1Dmdnu
— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@BSLOnTheVerge) August 13, 2022
The IronBirds’ offense was equally on point. Every hitter in the lineup reached base at least once, thanks to 11 hits, seven walks, and two hit batsmen. Heston Kjerstad (#9) collected a triple and two walks, driving in two; Darell Hernaiz (#29) had two hits, two walks, two runs, and two RBIs; and second baseman Billy Cook went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. The score could have been even more lopsided, as the IronBirds had an incredible 21 at-bats with runners in scoring position and managed just four hits. Still, it was more than enough.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 2, Carolina Mudcats (Brewers) 0
Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is perhaps the best-pitched game by any Orioles affiliate this season. Two Shorebirds right-handers, Juan De Los Santos and Yaqui Rivera, dominated Carolina for a one-hit shutout. One hit! The 20-year-old De Los Santos got it started with four scoreless innings, with a second-inning single and a walk his only blemishes.
But the 19-year-old Rivera was even better. He faced 15 batters…and retired all 15, including six strikeouts. Wowza! Rivera, acquired as the player to be named later in the Tanner Scott/Cole Sulser trade with the Marlins, entered the night with a 6.23 ERA in 10 games at Low-A, but he certainly had it all working tonight.
The Shorebirds didn’t do much offensively but didn’t need to. They scored their two runs on a passed ball and an Elio Prado RBI single.
Bonus Jackson Holliday note: The #1 overall pick in the 2022 draft played his second professional game for the Florida Complex League Orioles, going 1-for-3 with a single and a walk in his club’s 8-4 loss. Box score.
Saturday’s scheduled games:
- Norfolk: at Rochester, 7:05. Starter: Beau Sulser (2-2, 3.44)
- Bowie: at Akron/vs. Akron (doubleheader), 5:05. Game 1 starter: Ryan Watson (7-5, 3.45). Game 2 starter: TBD
- Aberdeen: at Hudson Valley, 6:05. Starter: TBD
- Delmarva: vs. Carolina, 7:05. Starter: TBD