Orioles minors 7/6: Bowie is the lone winner

Gwinnett Braves 3, Norfolk Tides 2

On the mound, the first five innings consisted of two wildly contrasting performances for the Tides. Andy Oliver worked the first three, masterfully putting up three donuts in Gwinnett’s run column. He allowed just three hits and walked none, striking out three in the process.

As he exited and gave way to Scott McGough, things slightly spiraled out of control. The 5’11” right-hander surrendered five hits, three runs (all earned) and two walks in his two innings of work. The 26-year-old now has a 5.53 ERA in 23 outings in 2016.

Richard Rodriguez tossed three innings of scoreless ball to wrap up the ballgame; the right-hander now has a 2.22 ERA in 29 outings in AAA this season.

As per usual, it was a lacking-clutch-hitting day of offense for Norfolk. L.J. Hoes hit a leadoff solo shot in the 4th inning, Ozzie Martinez picked up an RBI single in the ninth, but the rest of the lineup failed to produce in key spots despite nine hits. With the loss, the Tides fall to 34-53.

Bowie Baysox 7, Trenton Thunder 1

The Bowie offense exploded on Wednesday night, collecting 13 hits with four Bowie bats working multi-hit performances. Julio Borbon, at 30 years old, went 3-4 with a double, triple and an RBI.

Centerfielder Glynn Davis, product of the Community College of Baltimore County, put up a 2-4 with a home run; Henry Urrutia reached base twice with a single and a walk - he’s hitting .302 with Bowie through 40 games.

Starter John Means worked six innings of one-run baseball, while Jimmy Yacabonis from Saint Joseph’s continues to work well after his mid-season promotion. He tossed two innings, not giving up a run and striking out three.

Lynchburg Hillcats 11, Frederick Keys 7

Franderlin Romero, the starting arm on the evening, didn’t exactly have the best game of his life. Through four innings, he gave up 10 hits, nine runs (eight earned), and three walks. His season ERA was boosted to 5.09 with this slightly ugly outing.

Luckily, to pad the stats just a bit, the Keys offense did put up some impressive numbers. Cam Kneeland homered as a part of his 2-3 night, collecting four RBI in the process. Anderlin Rodriguez (yes, there was a Franderlin and an Anderlin in this one) went 2-4 with a triple and a base on balls.

Shortstop Erick Salcedo, a 23-year-old prospect in his first year in the O’s organization, picked up two hits to boost his season average to .277.

Lakewood BlueClaws 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 1

Starter Brian Gonzalez entered the night with a 2.47 ERA through 15 outings, but his overall body of work fell apart during a very rough sixth inning. Lakewood put up a four spot in that frame, handing Gonzalez his fifth loss of the year.

His final line: 5.2 innings, 8 hits, 6 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts.

The Shorebirds offense managed just five hits - on the bright side, Ryan Mountcastle singled twice while three-hole hitter Yermin Mercedes went 2-3 with a pair of doubles.

West Virginia Black Bears 4, Aberdeen Ironbirds 1

2016 ninth-round selection Lucas Humpal made his first “start” over two innings and handled the duty quite well. He worked three frames of shutout baseball, allowing just one hit and a walk. The Texas State product struck out just one, upping his scoreless inning streak up to five - small sample size, but it’s a start!

Unfortunately, the folks at Ripken Stadium didn't see any fireworks on offense. The Ironbirds dropped to 8-12 on the performance of just four hits. Top prospect Austin Hays singled and fellow prospect Ryan McKenna doubled.

Out of the bullpen, the flood gates opened when Lucas Brown from Troy University, making just his second pro appearance, allowed three hits and four runs to start the fourth inning. Xavier Borde, who had a 0.63 ERA in 16 outings last season in rookie ball, tossed 3.2 innings of shutout ball.

Today’s starters

Norfolk vs. Syracuse, 7:05. Starter: Mike Wright

Bowie vs. Trenton, 7:05. Starter: Brandon Barker

Frederick at Lynchburg, 6:30. Starter: Lucas Long

Delmarva vs. Hagerstown, 7:05. Starter: TBD

Aberdeen at Williamsport, 7:05. Starter: TBD