Orioles minors 6/1: A pair of doubleheaders; Delmarva wins two

Lehigh-Valley IronPigs 5, Norfolk Tides 3

Norfolk's tough, tough season continued on Wednesday with some early-inning meltdowns from starter Ariel Miranda. The 6'2" left-hander allowed nine hits and five earned runs over four innings, surrendering five extra base hits. He didn't walk a single IronPig, but ultimately had his season ERA boosted to 4.81.

Sharlon Schoop, Trey Mancini and Audry Perez - quite frankly, the majority of the backbone of the Norfolk lineup - all had multi-hit outings. Both Perez and Mancini hit home runs; Schoop singled twice to raise his season average to .284. Unfortunately, that Jonathan Schoop guy has things covered at that spot in the big leagues.

L.J. Hoes took an 0-3 - he's hitting at just .207 this season through 36 games.

Richmond Flying Squirrels 4, Bowie Baysox 2 (Game 1)

In game one of the DH, the box score looked rather interesting. After starter David Hess gave up four runs in the first inning to Richmond, he settled down and shut the Flying Squirrels down for a productive four innings of work, walking just one. Of course, these games are only seven innings - he went five full while 6'5" righty Jon Keller worked a scoreless sixth.

At the plate, Bowie managed six hits but couldn't drive enough runners across the plate to make up for the first inning troubles. Chance Sisco hit a double, Garabez Rosa singled twice (his average is up to .394), and Joey Terdoslavich plated a run on a two-out RBI single.

Bowie Baysox 3, Richmond Flying Squirrels 0 (Game 2)

This one turned out a bit better, thanks to the big bat of Tucker Nathans in the top of the sixth inning. He connected on a three-RBI double, giving Bowie the only runs they'd need to earn the split. Rosa contributed two more hits in this one, as well.

On the mound, the Baysox stayed fresh and reliable. Stefan Crichton, former TCU Horned Frog, threw the first three innings with just one hit allowed - he was followed by Jimmy Yacabonis (two scoreless), Jason Stoffel (one scoreless) and Genison Reyes (one scoreless).

Bowie is now 21-31.

Potomac Nationals 6, Frederick Keys 1

Here, the story was again about a rough starting pitching performance, this time from the new guy in town. Trevor Belicek, recently acquired in a trade with the Braves, stumbled in his first outing in the O's organization. He lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up six hits, three walks and six earned runs in the process.

Frederick mustered just four hits, three from third baseman Jomar Reyes. All singles, Reyes' trio of knocks helped boost his average to .222, a pedestrian number but one that can and should be improved as the season moves on. At just 19, the sky's the limit.

Delmarva Shorebirds 2, Hickory Crawdads 0 (Game 1)

Another doubleheader here after rain doused the northeast early in the week. Cristian Alvarado got the win, tossing five scoreless innings with four strikeouts and just one walk. He did allow six hits, but kept Hickory in check. His season ERA is now dropped to 4.13.

Out of the bullpen, 22-year-old Garrett Cleavinger from Oregon continued his impressive year. Now 13 appearances in, his ERA is down to 1.50 after getting the two-inning save on Wednesday.

Quiet on offense, six hits was all the Shorebirds would need to capture the win. Cedric Mullins, the 21-year-old former Campbell standout hit an RBI triple; D.J. Stewart went 1-2 with a single and a strikeout.

Delmarva Shorebirds 6, Hickory Crawdads 1 (Game 2)

Not a bad day for Delmarva, huh? In game two, they decided they'd break out the power bats and put up runs early and often. Drew Turbin and Austin Anderson both had home runs, Turbin's on an inside-the-parker. Alex Murphy contributed with a double, while first baseman Steve Laurino, 2015 pick out of Marist, tacked on an RBI single.

On the mound, former ECU pitcher Reid Love dominated, tossing 5.2 innings with just six hits and one walk allowed. He struck out five and gave up an unearned run - his season ERA is down to 2.87 ... progressing nicely in his first full season after being taken in the 10th last year.

Today's games

Norfolk vs. Pawtucket, 7:05

Bowie at Richmond, 6:35

Frederick vs. Potomac (DH), 5:05

Delmarva at Greensboro, 7:00