Charlotte (White Sox) 12, Norfolk Tides 3
After getting promoted to Triple-A, Joe "The Gunk" Gunkel had two good starts. He made his third one today. It did not go very well at all. Gunkel was trampled by the Knights for eleven hits in only three innings of work - surrendering nine runs. Some days you're the windshield and some days you're the bug. This game got so out of control that L.J. Hoes had to pitch the ninth inning.
Not much happened on offense for the Tides either, although Christian Walker did pull off a 2-5 day with a double. Walker's been trying his best to mash his way to the majors this year.
Bowie Baysox 6, Erie (Tigers) 5
Bowie batters tagged Erie starter Myles Jaye with a full Tommy Hunter (five runs, all earned) in 5.2 innings of work - but that still wasn't enough for them to win the game on its own because they had a bullpen struggle. Too bad for Chris Lee, who gave up only two runs on seven hits in six innings of work. Lee's sitting at a 2.41 ERA for the season. Not too shabby.
And all's well that ends well for the Baysox, too, who scratched out a run in the ninth inning to take the lead, which they were able to hold for good. Catcher Chance Sisco went 1-3 and drew a walk, scoring two of the six Baysox runs in the game. He is now batting .349/.455/.434 this year.
Frederick Keys 4, Wilmington (Royals) 0
Any time you can get a shutout, that's a good thing. Matthew Grimes started things off, allowing only four baserunners (three hits and a walk) over 6.2 innings of work. Grimes is another guy enjoying success at his level this year. The 2014 18th round pick out of Georgia Tech has made seven starts this year and is looking good with a 1.67 ERA.
The Keys were able to get the win despite getting only six hits. Not bad! Going 3-9 with runners in scoring position will do it. Catcher Jonah Heim hit his fourth homer of the season, though he was the DH in this particular game. Heim has come on of late, raising his average nearly 40 points in the last ten games. He's now batting .235/.363/.447. Hey, that's good!
Shoutout also to center fielder Jay Gonzalez, who drew two walks and stole two bases in the game. Gonzalez has stolen 20 bases already this year. At the MLB level, the Orioles have stolen four bases as a team.
Delmarva Shorebirds 11, Greensboro (Marlins) 3
Hey, I like a blowout - as long as we're on the right side of it. Ofelky Peralta, who's gotten some on-air praise from Jim Palmer on MASN this week, started things off for the Shorebirds, striking out six batters in five innings. Peralta allowed only one unearned run while he was in the game. The 19-year-old has a 1.98 ERA in his first taste of full season ball.
On offense, it was a 17 hit parade for the Shorebirds. Unfortunately, the only guy who went hitless was D.J. Stewart, last year's first round pick. But it's also a good sign that Ryan Mountcastle had a 3-5 day with a double. Mountcastle has raised his batting average by over 80 points in the past ten games.
Today's Scheduled Games
Norfolk: vs. Buffalo, 7:05. Starter: TBD
Bowie: at Erie, 6:35. Starter: Jason Garcia
Frederick: vs. Myrtle Beach, 7:00 (Fireworks!) Starter: Cory Jones
Delmarva: vs. Greensboro, 7:05. Starter: Francisco Jimenez
For complete box scores from Thursday's games, check out here.