Jeff Nettles is slugging the ball pretty well right now. Let's be honest about why someone who's 29 years old and spent five years outside of real baseball is playing on anyone's Double-A team. First off, he's Graig Nettles' son. Which also makes him Jim Nettles' nephew! And he's an in-law of Mike Sweeney, since Jim's daughter married Sweeney. He's not a good player. He's just not. He never has been. He was in indy league baseball for about five years before the Royals picked him up to play at Wichita (AA) last season. The O's grabbed him because they have no hitting prospects. He was once a 53rd round pick of the Blue Jays, but went pro when taken in the 47th round for the big money by the Yankees, who were probably just doing Graig a solid. Not a nice bunch of stuff to say, I don't suppose, but it's not my job to make excuses for why Jeff Nettles is the starting third baseman for the Bowie Baysox.

Luis Montanez is 26 and a massive flameout with whom you may already be familiar if you're a Cubs fan. He was taken third overall in the 2000 draft and never did anything. He never even had an encouraging season, really. I mean, I suppose you could say him tearing up the Midwest League was pretty neat, if you don't take into account that he was 23 by then and was expected to already be in the majors. It's been a tough career for him. Sometimes, I wonder what it is that makes a guy like Montanez or Nettles keep soldiering on. Love of the game is one thing, but jeez. It reminds me of the line from Rudy, when one of the assistant coaches bluntly addresses the walk -on hopefuls: "Now, if any of you has any dreams of one day running out of that tunnel with your gold helmet shining in the sun, you'd best leave them right here."

Reimold is starting to hit a little, thank the heavens. He remains our second-best position prospect. Expect nothing from the rest of these guys. Like the Tides, the Baysox are struggling with hitting, although it's nice to see Jonathan Tucker getting on base the way he is. I like him for no particular reason. Just do.

Tillman is still a diaper dandy, more or less, so his control issues are (1) not a big deal and (2) pretty much totally expected. Spoone's are a little more troubling.

But the other three rotation regulars have been chewing up the Eastern League. Waters should be -- he's 27 years old. Berken's 25 and is sort of at "now or never" himself. Hernandez was regarded by Sickels and Baseball Prospectus as a sleeper dude, so him I'm actually getting a little excited about, despite the iffy WHIP. I mean look at that K-rate -- 13.32 K/9. That's nasty. Even if he never masters a whole repertoire, that kind of power arm could make him millions as a reliever.

But if it's ratios you want to focus on, jeez, take a gander at Berken's absurd K-to-BB. 15-to-1? The Baysox bullpen deserves just as much flak for the team's struggles as the flaccid lineup does, too. Mickolio, Miller and Romero are doing fine, but the rest of them are gasoline men.

Louisville 6, Norfolk 4

Scott Moore started at second base and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, leaving him hitting .133 with seven whiffs in 15 at-bats since being sent down to Norfolk. He's always going to be a high-strikeout hitter who is prone to bouts of streakiness. He's picking a bad time to slump, I'd suppose, although I'd take the Norfolk version of Moore over Brandon Fahey anyway.

Veteran catcher Chris Heintz was 4-for-4 on the day, but didn't score a run. Radhames Liz got beaten up a little, going five innings with eight hits allowed, giving up six runs (five earned) and two homers. He walked one and struck out five. Lance Cormier and Bob McCrory both had scoreless relief appearances.

Erie 11, Bowie 10

Well, the Bowie bats have come around. But they lost this slugfest on a Max St. Pierre single in the bottom of the ninth with one out, which scored Dusty Ryan from second base. The hit was to left field.

First, the pitching. Starter David Hernandez went four innings, allowing eight runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks. Hernandez struck out eight. Gerardo Casadiego gave up just one run in three innings, but Jim Miller blew the game and took the loss for the Baysox, giving up two in one and a third.

At the plate, Jeff Nettles was 3-for-5 with four runs scored, and hit two solo homers, including one in the top of the ninth that tied the game at 10. Luis Montanez was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, and had three RBIs on the day. Kennard Jones also had a three-steak day.

And even though the Baysox rapped out 11 hits and scored ten runs, Nolan Reimold continues to flounder. He was 1-for-5 with an RBI triple. He's hitting .180/.259/.280 so far.

Mike Rodriguez and Ben Davis both had two hits.

Salem 13, Frederick 6

The Keys winning streak ended at four, and Brandon Erbe got wailed on out there. But first...

Wieters Watch! He was 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Start the panic!

Erbe went five and a third, and Salem got nine hits and seven runs (six earned) off of him. He allowed three home runs, walked one, and struck out five. Erbe started his day much like Adam Loewen, giving up a double, a single, and then a three run homer. Three batters, three Salem runs. Mark Ori hit two homers off of Erbe.

Frederick had a 4-3 lead after two, but it disappeared pretty fast. Leading 7-4, Salem piled on six runs in the top of the seventh, just murdering Kyle Schmidt. None of the runs were earned, apparently. Hey, whatever.

Brandon Tripp hit a homer for the Keys.

Delmarva 10, Hagerstown 1

Matt Angle was 3-for-6 and David Cash was 4-for-6, making the Shorebirds' 1-2 hitters a pretty deadly punch on the day. Cash had a three-run homer and four RBIs total.

Tyler Henson and Joseph Nowicki had two hits apiece, and Ryan Adams was 4-for-5.

Zach Britton and Cliff Flagello teamed up to dominate Hagerstown. Britton went five and a third and gave up a run on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Flagello pitched the other three and two-thirds, striking out seven and walking two, allowing only two hits.

RECORDS

Norfolk 5-9

Bowie 5-8

Frederick 8-4

Delmarva 7-6

Indianapolis 3, Norfolk 2

Garrett Olson had another fine start, going 5 1/3 with six strikeouts and one walk, allowing two runs on five hits. Andy Mitchell gave up a run in the seventh, and it turned out to be the deciding score in the game.

Eider Torres was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Adam Stern had two hits. Chris Roberson and Sebastien Boucher both walked two times.

Bowie 10, Erie 3

Wham! The Baysox bats have come alive. Bowie was up 1-0 entering the sixth, then scored twice that inning, three runs in the eighth, and then four more in the ninth. Erie didn't get on the board until the bottom of the ninth.

Outfielder Luis Montanez was 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs, and Jeff Nettles also went yard. Mike Rodriguez, Ben Davis, Jonathan Tucker and Blake Davis all had two hits. The Baysox had 13 hits on the night as a team.

And despite all that, Nolan Reimold remained ice cold, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout. He's now hitting .143. Not a good start to the year.

All three Seawolves runs were given up Ryan Keefer. Chris Waters got the win with 5 2/3 shutout innings in the start.

Frederick 5, Salem 4

Wieters Watch! He got the day off.

Chris Amador was 3-for-4 and Daniel Figueroa was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Jake Arrieta went 5 2/3 and struck out seven, walking three and allowing one unearned run on two hits. Wilfredo Perez allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief, making the game a lot tighter than it needed to be. Hey, it happens.

Delmarva 7, Hagerstown 6

Four runs in the bottom of the ninth gave the Shorebirds this big-time come-from-behind win. Here's the recap from MiLB.com:

Pitcher Change: Clint Everts replaces Kyle Gunderson.

Joseph Mahoney singles on a line drive to left fielder Aaron Seuss.

Tyler Henson singles on a line drive to center fielder Stephen Englund. Joseph Mahoney to 2nd.

With Matthew Tucker batting, wild pitch by Clint Everts, Joseph Mahoney to 3rd. Tyler Henson to 2nd.

Matthew Tucker walks.

Kieron Pope reaches on force attempt, throwing error by third baseman Steven Souza. Joseph Mahoney scores. Tyler Henson to 3rd. Matthew Tucker to 2nd.

Wally Crancer pops out to third baseman Steven Souza in foul territory.

Pedro Florimon Jr. singles on a fly ball to center fielder Stephen Englund. Tyler Henson scores. Matthew Tucker scores. Kieron Pope to 2nd.

Matthew Angle doubles (1) on a line drive to right fielder Michael Burgess. Kieron Pope scores. Pedro Florimon Jr. to 3rd.

Indianapolis 9, Norfolk 3

The Indy Indians touched up Radhames Liz to the tune of five earned over five innings on seven hits, and were down 6-0 before a three-spot in the seventh inning. There would be no rally, though, as Indianapolis put up three more of their own in the bottom of the eighth for the runaway win.

Ryan Bukvich allowed an unearned run, and fellow journeyman Esteban Yan gave up the last three Indian scores. Liz threw 90 pitches on the night, 53 of them for strikes. Indianapolis starter Luis Munoz also threw 53 strikes, but on 81 pitches over six and two-thirds for the win.

Mike Costanzo hit his first homer of the season, a solo shot. Chris Heintz had a double and an RBI, and Luis Terrero had a steak, too.

Akron 12, Bowie 5

Jason Berken is a 24-year old righty, a Green Bay native and a Clemson alum. How about this line? 5 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts.

After Berken was pulled, 26-year old Bloomsburg, Penn., native Ryan Keefer took over. How about this line? One-third of an inning, 3 hits, 6 runs, 1 earned, no walks, no Ks. No fuss, no muss.

Once Keefer was out of the game, 27-year old ex-Yankee Gerardo Casadiego toed the rubber. One and two-thirds innings, 2 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 3 walks, no strikeouts.

The Baysox committed six errors in total, allowing the 12 Akron runs on just nine hits. Bowie actually out-hit Akron on the night, 12 to nine. Mike Rodriguez, Jeff Nettles and Blake Davis all went 2-for-5, and Ryan Finan was 3-for-5. Rodriguez had the team's only extra-base hit, a triple. Nolan Reimold was 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.

The errors came from Reimold, Rodriguez and Nettles, plus Davis, the shortstop, who had three of them in total -- one on a missed catch, one on a throw, and one on a grounder. Not a pretty game for the Baysox, but these games happen. God bless minor league baseball.

Myrtle Beach 3, Frederick 2 (11 innings)

Wieters Watch! Matt went 2-for-4 with a walk. What's the bet right now on the date for his promotion to Bowie? May 31st? Here's an interesting question, though. Do you maybe try to skip Double-A with Wieters, leaving him down at Frederick a little longer than one normally might, and then see if he can skirt all the way up to Norfolk? Ben Davis is at Bowie for a reason, believe me. It's not because Chris Heintz is a better player, it's because they want Davis working with Spoone and Tillman and the rest.

Second baseman Miguel Abreu was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Keys, but the real standout, again, was Brandon Erbe. Erbe didn't get the win, but he was sharp for the second start in a row, going 6 1/3 with eight strikeouts and just two hits allowed for one earned run. Raise his stock back up a little bit.

The Keys held a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, when Myrtle Beach left fielder Willie Cabrera led off with a solo homer. The winning run scored when Keys reliever Ryan Oullette hit Gorkys Hernandez with a pitch, forcing in a run. Outstanding!

Delmarva 3, Lakewood 1

The Shorebirds saved the system from going winless on the day, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh to take down the BlueClaws. Who doesn't love minor league team names?

Leadoff man Matt Angle was 0-for-2, but walked twice and scored a run, and catcher Wally Crancer had two hits and an RBI on the day. Brian Parker got the win in relief, and Mike Mattaliano picked up his third save. Starter Zach Britton went six strong innings, allowing just the one run and striking out four. Britton is a 20-year old lefty who's looked pretty sharp this season over his first three appearances. He might warrant a bump up shortly if he keeps it up.

Records

Norfolk 5-4
Bowie 3-6
Frederick 4-3
Delmarva 3-4

Rochester 4, Norfolk 1

Our old Triple-A affiliate shut down our newest Triple-A affiliate, as the Red Wings got two hits apiece from Garrett Jones, Randy Ruiz and Brian Buscher and five and two-thirds shutout innings from starter Kevin Mulvey en route to victory. Former Oriole Jon Knott went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts for Rochester.

Jim Johnson went four innings to take the loss, allowing one earned on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Relievers Craig Anderson (2 2/3, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 K) and Lance Cormier (2 1/3, 4 H, 1 ER, BB, 3 K) were both hit pretty hard. The Tides didn't get on the board until it was 3-0 Rochester, when nine-hitter Mike McCoy drove in catcher Chris Heintz. The Tides are now 2-3.

Reading 6, Bowie 3 (10 innings)

The Baysox extended their season-starting winless streak to five games with a 6-3 loss to Reading, giving up three runs in the top of the tenth inning after having rallied to tie it in the bottom of the seventh.

Veteran catcher Ben Davis went 2-for-5, but the runs came from the bottom of the order. Eight-hitter Jonathan Tucker was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, and Kennard Jones in the nine spot scored the other Bowie run on a 1-for-3 day. Jones also had an RBI, and the other two steaks came from Mike Rodriguez (hitting .381) and Blake Davis at the top of the lineup. Nolan Reimold was 1-for-5 with two whiffs.

On the mound, Chris Tillman made his first Junior Oriole start, and he struggled. Tillman was yanked after two innings work, allowing two earned on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Jim Miller threw three innings of relief, and Kam Mickolio and Rommie Lewis, Jr., threw two each. Old Man Manon was the goat in the tenth, giving up the three runs on two hits and a walk.

Frederick and Delmarva both had the day off.

Norfolk 2, Buffalo 1 (Game 1)
Norfolk 9, Buffalo 8 (Game 2)

The Tides swept a double-header at home against Buffalo in two seven-inning contests. Jeremy Sowers pitched all six innings for Buffalo in the opener, giving up just one earned run but taking the loss without run support. Jon Leicester went 3 1/3 for the Tides, and Alberto Castillo-Betancourt got the win in relief. Bob McCroy picked up his first save of the season. At the plate, Eider Torres was 1-for-3 with a double, and Oscar Salazar had an RBI.

In the second game, Buffalo grabbed a big 8-3 lead in the top of the seventh with a three-run inning, and Norfolk came storming back with six in the bottom of the inning for the win. Mike Costanzo singled Tike Redman in for the winning run. Redman scored three times, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Rich Rundles walked in two straight runs for Norfolk on behalf of Buffalo to set up Costanzo's winning hit.

Radhames Liz went 4 2/3 with seven strikeouts. Salazar, Sebastian Boucher and Adam Stern all had two hits in the game, as well. Salazar and Torres had two RBI apiece. The Tides evened up their record at 2-2.

Erie 5, Bowie 0

The dreadful Bowie lineup continued to have serious problems, scattering five hits in the game that finalized a four-game sweep at the hands of the Seawolves. Mike Rodriguez, Nolan Reimold, Jeff Nettles, Jonathan Tucker and Kennard Jones had one hit apiece. Rodriguez also walked!

This team is going to have major difficulties winning ballgames with their lineup if Wieters and even a couple more guys don't get up there to help them, fast. They are awful. Bowie is 0-4.

Lynchburg 9, Frederick 3

The Keys got just two hits on the day (one each from Brandon Snyder and Paul Winterling) and were thus steamrolled by Lynchburg. Wieters went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Snyder and Winterling had an RBI to go with their base knocks.

Pedro Beato had a rough debut for the season, going just 3 1/3 and allowing four earned on six hits with two walks and a strikeout. Frederick is 2-1.

Hagerstown @ Delmarva, PPD

What was to be Tony Butler's first Shorebirds start was rained out.