Syracuse (Walgreens) 7, Norfolk Tides 4
A six run seventh inning is what did in the Tides in this game. The worst offender was that notorious mullet-enthusiast Chaz Roe, who managed to give up five runs in only one third of an inning pitched.
It didn't help Roe that the guy who relieved him, Zach Phillips, faced three batters and retired none - the bases loaded situation he inherited ended with all runners scoring.
These relievers were pressed into service at that time because starting pitcher Ariel Miranda made it only three innings into the game. It appears he was lifted due to throwing 70 pitches in his three innings, though he allowed only one run in that time.
Tides leadoff hitter and center fielder Xavier Avery continues to show what a leadoff man can do. He went 2-5 in the game and is now batting .281 with an on-base percentage over .370.
Reading (Phillies) 5, Bowie Baysox 1
Remember last year's Rule 5 experiment, Jason Garcia? He's been in Bowie's rotation all year. His latest outing didn't go much better than all the rest. Garcia gave up four runs in 5.1 innings, though only one was earned as a result of three Baysox errors.
Garcia being Garcia, he committed one of those errors, a throwing error that led to two runs scoring.
By the way, in the same plate appearance, Garcia threw a wild pitch that allowed two runners to advance. His season ERA is now 6.47. So that's not going so great.
Certified prospect dude Chance Sisco went 1-3 and drew a walk in the game while serving as the DH.
Frederick Keys 3, Wilmington (Royals) 1
Fireballing lefty reliever Tanner Scott was tasked with three innings in this game, and he delivered, holding the Blue Rocks hitless while striking out five batters. Any day Scott doesn't issue a billion walks is a good day for him. He only had one in this outing.
Keys pitchers in general did great to hold Wilmington to only two hits for the whole game. They were helped in keeping the opponent off the board by catcher Jonah Heim, who, though hitless in the game, threw out three out of four would-be base stealers over the course of the contest. Heim has now thrown out 21/49 runners - an excellent 43% success rate.
All three Frederick runs scored on a three run home run hit by third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez.
Delmarva Shorebirds 4, Lakewood (Phillies) 0
Hey, a shutout! Brian Gonzalez, the 2014 third round pick, gets the lion's share of the credit for pitching six innings. Gonzalez struck out seven while scattering five hits and three walks. His season ERA now sits at 2.01 after eight starts.
Credit also to local kid Ryan Meisinger, who recently popped up at #30 on MLB.com's top 30 Orioles prospects. Meisinger pitched the last three innings of the game, striking out seven of the twelve batters he faced. The 2015 11th rounder has a miniscule 0.49 ERA with the Shorebirds this year, with 30 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.
Delmarva hit machine Yermin Mercedes had a 1-3 night and drove in a run. Baltimore's own Alex Murphy was 1-3 and drew a walk, while Ryan Mountcastle just went 1-3. Last year's first rounder, D.J. Stewart, wore a sombrero (three strikeouts) while going 0-4. Here is an article about Stewart keeping a positive attitude so far.
Today's Scheduled Games
Norfolk: at Syracuse, 6:35. Starter: T.J. McFarland
Bowie: at Harrisburg, 7:00. Starter: Jayson Aquino
Frederick: vs. Potomac, 7:00. Starter: Lucas Long
Delmarva: at Lakewood, 7:05. Starter: Cristian Alvarado
If you want to check up on someone I didn't mention above, you can find complete box scores from yesterday's games here.