Buffalo (Blue Jays) 1 Norfolk 2
Steve Johnson allowed just a solo HR over 2.1 innings of 1 hit work. And while he K'd 4 in that span, he also walked 4. Josh Stinson took over as his tandem partner and pitched 3.2 innings without allowing a hit or a run. He also K'd 4, but hit 2 batters. Quintin Berry went 3 for 3 with a walk and an RBI. Dariel Alvarez managed a 2 for 4 night with an RBI double and threw out a runner at 3B for you nightly Outfield Assist. Christian Walker had the night off.
Bowie 1 Binghamton (Mets) 2
Anthony Vasquez pitched 7 strong innings, allowing just 1 run on 6 hits and 3 walks. The game got away in the 8th when Steve Hensley allowed a lead off walk and then 3 singles to bring in the go-ahead run. The offense was quiet, as they K'd (9) more than they hit (7). Mike Yastrzemski went 0 for 3 with a walk. Glynn Davis managed two of Bowie's 7 hits.
Frederick 0 Wilmington (Royals) 6
I took this game in in-person on a perfect summer evening. It was my first time getting see Sebastian Vader pitch. He put together 6 solid, if unspectacular innings. He only allowed 2 hits, 3 walks, and 2 earned runs. The first run came about after a 2 out walk was followed by a hard hit line drive that caught the left field foul line and rolled to the wall. (LF) Johnny Ruetigger retrieved the stung orb and fired an impressive throw to cut-off man (SS) Adrian Marin who forwarded the ball along to home like a hot potato. The runner, previously on 1B, was hard-charging it down the 3B line with designs on scoring, which he managed to do, but only as a result of the catcher dropping the ball after a major league quality relay effort from Ruetigger and Marin.
Ruetigger was a busy fella out on his LF patol duties, recording 4 outs but also getting peppered by many a well struck foul ball screaming down the LF line. He made a high degree-of-difficulty sliding catch in the first, and also another strong and accurate throw that caught my attention. He had less luck at the plate, going 0 for 4 with 2 Ks.
Back to Vader, his stuff was average, with an 88-90 mph FB he moved around the zone pretty well. His most impressive pitches were off-speed. He ended the 1st inning with a pretty inside curveball to punch out Bubba Starling. And in the 3rd, with a runner on 3B and 1 out he would K Raul Mondesi with a nice change up away and induce a groundout by Bubba Starling. He allowed his 2nd run via a rocket of a line drive HR to LF by the lead off batter.
One can definitely tell he needs to generate ample sink out of his high arm slot if he wants to find success. Though he only allowed 2 hits, batters were consistently making hard & loud contact off him. Most of those balls just happened to be foul or find outfielder's mitts in this game.
The offense, much like the O's, Bowie, & Norfolk on this night, was stymied. Royals pitcher Sean Manaea was hardly challenged over 7.1 innings of shutout pitching. Adrian Marin stung a line drive single just over the glove of (SS) Raul Mondesi for his only hit of the night, though he would also draw a lead off walk in the 9th. After his single, he made an odd move of tagging up from 1B on a flyout to LF. Don't see that very often, but it worked. A hollow victory though, as he would be thrown out by 10 feet attempting to score on a single to shallow CF. Really should not have been sent as CF Bubba Starling was only about 20-25 behind the infield when he came up with the ball and fired it home. (1B) Trey Mancini couldn't get a read on Manaea all night, as he went 0 for 4 with 2 Ks.
Scary moment in the 7th when Keys' Jimmy Yacabonis hit Blue Rocks' Jared Schlehuber in the back of the helmet with a 92 mph FB. Schlehuber would get up and walk off under his own power after 2 minutes or so of attention from the medical staff. Yacabonis had a rough night, giving up 4 ER in the inning. He has some pretty impressive raw stuff, but his control was non-existent in this game.
Lakewood vs. Delmarva (Postponed due to wet grounds)
Aberdeen 1 Willamsport (Philles) 5
Not much to say about this one. Aberdeen managed just 4 hits and no walks on offense, and the pitching was not particularly good. (CF) Jay Gonzalez went 2 for 4, but also got thrown out attempting to steal 2B. (3B) Austin Anderson took an 0 for 4.
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Today's Probables are:
Norfolk: (RHP) Ubaldo Jimenez
Bowie: (RHP) Zach Davies
Frederick: (RHP) Mark Blackmar (he, along with Dylan Bundy, were charting pitches just a few seats away from me last night)
Delmarva: (LHP) Steven Brault
Aberdeen: TBD