Bruce Zimmermann led a quintet of Norfolk hurlers to a spotless win.
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 5, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (MIA) 0
A shutout for the Norfolk pitching staff! I did not see that coming. The Tides, who have the second worst ERA in the International League (5.23), threw their first shutout in two months. Bruce Zimmermann, who remained in the organization after being DFA’d off the 40-man roster last week, got it started with four scoreless innings, and Nolan Hoffman looked impressive with two flawless frames, striking out three. Bryan Baker, Colin Selby, and Corbin Martin each pitched a scoreless inning to finish things off.
Nick Maton drove in four of Norfolk’s five runs, thanks to a three-run homer in the first and a sac fly in the third. Coby Mayo took an 0-for-3 with a walk, but Jud Fabian had two hits from the leadoff spot. New arrival Forrest Wall went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs, helping to defeat a Jacksonville squad that he was playing for just last week. Samuel Basallo, a day after hitting his first Triple-A dinger, had the night off.
Double-A: Akron RubberDucks (CLE) 4, Bowie Baysox 0
The Baysox were also involved in a shutout, but unfortunately were on the wrong end of theirs. Akron starter Austin Peterson held them to just five hits, with a Silas Ardoin double the only one for extra bases. Leadoff man Frederick Bencosme had two of the others. Among the Orioles’ outfield prospects, Dylan Beavers went 0-for-4, while Enrique Bradfield Jr. did not play.
Alex Pham’s otherwise brilliant August ended on a sour note. For the first time all month, Pham allowed more than two runs and failed to go five innings. The RubberDucks chased him after 4.2 frames and 77 pitches, scoring three runs on four hits. Dingers by Yordys Valdes and former first round pick Kahlil Watson did all the damage against Pham. Southpaw Jakob Hernandez, whom the O’s signed as a minor league free agent this past winter, struck out four in two scoreless innings of relief.
High-A: Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS) 3, Aberdeen IronBirds 1
This game was a pitcher’s duel between IronBirds starter Trey Gibson and Wilmington’s Jose Atencio. Atencio threw six shutout innings, while Gibson went five without allowing an earned run. Unfortunately he was tagged with an unearned run on an error by right fielder Thomas Sosa in the sixth, which saddled Gibson with the loss. Later, second baseman Aron Estrada also committed an error that led to another unearned run for reliever Hayden Nierman.
Sosa and Estrada at least made up for their defensive miscues with strong performances at the plate, each collecting two hits. But the rest of the Aberdeen lineup went 3-for-26 and failed to capitalize on scoring chances, as the IronBirds went 1-for-9 with men in scoring position and stranded 11 runners on base.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 10, Salem Red Sox (BOS) 9
What a slobberknocker of a game this was, as the Shorebirds rallied back from an early 6-0 deficit to tie the game in the seventh, then fell behind in the top of the 10th, tied it again in the bottom of the inning, then gave up two runs in the top of the 11th, only to erupt for three of their own in the bottom half to walk off with a thrilling victory. Whew!
The Shorebirds scored their 10 runs despite tallying only six hits, taking advantage of 10 walks issued by Salem pitchers. They also ran wild on the bases, notching five steals without being caught. Each of the Orioles’ top four picks in the 2024 draft was in the lineup, and all contributed to the victory. First round pick Vance Honeycutt went 1-for-5 with an RBI single and a bases-loaded walk. Austin Overn had a hit, a walk, and two runs; Ethan Anderson reached base three times and drove in two; and Griff O’Ferrall had two walks, two runs, and two RBIs.
Delmarva starter Jacob Cravey struggled, giving up six runs in 3.2 innings, but relievers Simon Leandro, Yeiber Cartaya, and Joe Glassey kept the game close, working 7.1 innings and allowing only one earned run to set up the comeback. The Shorebirds pulled off their game-winning rally in the 11th with two outs, with an Anderson RBI double followed by a Braylin Tavera walkoff two-run single.
Saturday’s scheduled games:
- Norfolk: at Jacksonville, 6:35 PM. Starter: Trevor Rogers (0-1, 20.77)
- Bowie: at Akron, 6:05 PM. Starter: Peter Van Loon (1-1, 2.67)
- Aberdeen: at Wilmington, 6:05 PM. Starter: TBD
- Delmarva: vs. Salem, 7:05 PM. Starter: Keeler Morfe (0-0, 2.61)