Orioles minor league recap 9/7: John Means wraps up rehab stint

Big nights were had up and down the system, including standout games from Samuel Basallo, Connor Norby, and Stiven Acevedo.

Triple-A: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) 9, Norfolk Tides 7 – F/10

This will probably be John Means’ final rehab outing as he wraps up his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The final line isn’t particularly inspiring: 67 pitches, five innings, three runs, six hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. However, it wasn’t disastrous either, and most of his rehab work has been rather solid. Now we wait to see how Means is deployed in the big league staff.

Ryan Watson had a tougher day as the first reliever out of the bullpen. Across two innings he allowed four runs on six hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Nolan Hoffman and Bryan Baker had one scoreless inning apiece. And it was Wandisson Charles that was saddled with the loss after allowing two runs (including the Manfred runner) to score in the 10th inning.

Jackson Holliday went 0-for-6 in his second game with Norfolk, but did score once after reaching on a fielder’s choice. Connor Norby paced the offense with four hits, including a double. Josh Lester was 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Colton Cowser had two hits, a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Coby Mayo singled and walked twice. Heston Kjerstad had a single and a base on balls.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 11, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 10 – F/10

There was oodles of offense for Bowie, who totaled 12 hits and seven walks. Billy Cook had a nice day out of the leadoff spot with two hits, a home run, and three RBI. Greg Cullen was a perfect 3-for-3 with two walks, two runs, and a stolen base. Dylan Beavers went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Donta’ Williams and Anthony Servideo had two hits and a stolen base apiece.

It was a less memorable day for the pitching staff, although there were highlights. Peter Van Loon struck out five over 3.1 innings, but also gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. Alex Pham was the standout with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, featuring four strikeouts. Conner Loeprich struggled, giving up six runs in 0.2 innings. Keagan Gillies and Nick Richmond combined for 2.1 innings and five strikeouts, each giving up one unearned run.

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 5, Greenville Drive (Red Sox) 3

This Aberdeen lineup is full of notable names following the promotions of several 2023 draft picks. That includes top pick Enrique Bradfield, who went 0-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base, and a run. Mac Horvath added a single, two walks, and two runs. But it was Samuel Basallo that led the way with two hits, including a two-run homer, three RBI, two runs scored, and two walks. The young catcher continues to raise his profile. Matthew Etzel also had a nice night with three hits.

Three pitchers toed the rubber for the IronBirds. Seth Johnson impressed with three scoreless innings and five strikeouts, a nice bounce-back for the rehabbing righty. Daniel Lloyd notched the win with his five innings, although he allowed all three runs on five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Edgar Portes worked a clean ninth for his first save at the level.

Low-A: Fredericksburg Nationals 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 4 – Game 1

Juan De Los Santos was stuck with his 10th loss as a pitcher this season after allowing four runs over four innings. The righty struck out three, walked two, and allowed three hits in this outing. Brayner Sánchez followed with one unearned run and five strikeouts over two innings, and then Jack Maruskin tossed a clean seventh inning with two strikeouts.

Jake Cunningham filled up the box score with a single, a walk, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. Jalen Vazquez hit his third triple of the season, an impressive number considering he’s only been a pro for about a month. Anderson De Los Santos added a double, an RBI, and a run scored.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 9, Fredericksburg Nationals 3 – Game 2

It was a much more impressive showing from the lineup in the nightcap. Stiven Acevedo had a big game with three hits, including a home run, a double, two runs, and four RBI. Adam Crampton added a double and two RBI.

The pitching workload was divvied up between a trio of arms. Moisés Chace started and threw three innings, allowing two runs on two hits and five strikeouts. Braxton Bragg earned the win with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings. And the save went to Blake Money, who allowed a run on four hits and three strikeouts over two innings.

Box Scores

Thursday’s Schedule

• Norfolk: vs Jacksonville, 12:05. SP: Garrett Stallings (5-4, 6.51 ERA)
• Bowie: vs New Hampshire, 6:35. SP: Trace Bright (0-0, 2.00 ERA)
• Aberdeen: vs Greenville, 7:05. SP: Zach Peek (0-1, 11.57 ERA)
• Delmarva: vs Fredericksburg, 7:05. SP: Carter Baumler (1-0, 3.00 ERA)