Norfolk Tides 4, Durham (Rays) 3
It was a dramatic finish at Harbor Park on Sunday after Richard Rodriguez surrendered a solo shot in the top of the 12th inning to put the Tides behind by a run. In the bottom half of the frame, the good guys came from behind and walked it off against the Durham Bulls on a Mike Yastrzemski double.
Recently signed veteran Edwin Jackson made his first start for the Tides, only allowing 1 ER over 3 IP. The Orioles view him more as a reliever going forward, but Jackson starting at some point for the O’s isn’t out of the question if the need arises. He is one to watch as he gets stretched out in the Norfolk rotation and continues to get back into pitching shape. With his June 1st opt-out approaching, Jackson will have three more weeks to position himself as a potential next man up for the big league squad.
Outside of allowing a solo home run, the Tides got 3 strong innings from Richard Rodriguez who is having another strong season in AAA. The 27-year-old is not currently on the 40 man roster and is looking for his first call up. Also looking for that first promotion to the big leagues is Jimmy Yacabonis who threw another scoreless outing on Sunday to extend his streak to 12 in a row to start the year.
Bowie Baysox 8, Richmond (Giants) 4
Tanner Scott came out throwing some serious heat in Richmond and Bowie’s bats later caught fire on their way towards doubling up the Flying Squirrels of Richmond.
Still starting every fifth day to help his development as a reliever, Scott struck out 6 over 3 scoreless innings. Hopefully he is beginning to see some results from the unorthodox schedule. While the K’s are nice, the biggest news on the day was that the hard-throwing southpaw didn’t walk a single batter for the first time this season. Oh, and he hit 103 on the stadium gun. That’s how you end up on top prospects lists despite career BB/9 rates over 7. His arm is special if he can get it under control.
On offense for the Baysox, MiLB veteran Garabez Rosa went 4 for 5 including his fourth home run of the season to knock in half of Bowie’s 8 runs on the day.
Carolina (Brewers) 5, Frederick Keys 4
The Keys lost a heartbreaker in extra innings on Sunday down in North Carolina. After tying the game up in the top of the 5th inning, the Keys traded blank frames with the Mudcats for four innings before losing on a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th.
The Orioles’ top draft pick from 2014, Brian Gonzalez, started the game for the Keys and gave up 11 hits in only 4 innings of work. He was able to limit the damage somewhat to only 4 ER thanks to his 6 K’s on the afternoon.
On offense, Orioles’ 4th-ranked prospect Ryan Mountcastle had an RBI on his 10th double of the season. The young shortstop now ranks in the top-10 in the Carolina League in doubles, home runs, SLG %, and OPS while leading the league in hits. Austin Hays went 2-4 to bring his team-high average up to .330.
Charleston (Yankees) 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 5
The Shorebirds tied the game up at five a piece in the top of the 8th, but took the loss after a critical error helped the Riverdogs score two unearned runs off reliever Jhon Peluffo in the bottom half of the inning. The 19-year-old righty took the loss but pitched well as he continues to piggyback starter Travis Seabrooke. Peluffo struck out 6 and walked none over 3.1 IP.
The Shorebirds had the offense to win the game but failed to come up with enough hits in crucial situations. They finished the game going 2-15 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners.
After being named the Orioles’ Minor League Player of the Month for April, Jake Ring continued his blistering start to the season at the plate. The young center fielder drove in 3 while going 4-5 with a pair of homers, a double and a single.
Complete box scores from Saturday’s games can be found here.
Today’s Scheduled Games
- Norfolk: at Louisville, 6:35. Starter: Chris Lee
- Bowie: at Reading, 6:35. Starter: Matthew Grimes
- Frederick: OFF
- Delmarva: at Charleston, 7:05. Starter: Alex Wells