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Syracuse (Nationals) 8, Norfolk Tides 2
The Chiefs tomahawked the Tides in Syracuse to complete the 3-game sweep over the Orioles AAA affiliate. The rough start to the season continued for Tides starter Gabriel Ynoa who gave up 4 runs in only 3 innings. After a strong spring training with the big league club in Sarasota that put him firmly in the mix for the Orioles fifth starter position, Ynoa is still looking to find his groove in Norfolk’s rotation.
Speaking of still looking to find their groove, Pedro Alvarez went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts on Sunday to drop his average down to .180. While it’s true he’s in AAA first and foremost to work on his outfield defense, you’d still think the 2013 NL home run champion would be seeing a little more success at the plate.
Harrisburg (Nationals) 2, Bowie Baysox 1
The Baysox got out to a short-lived, 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on an Adrian Marin single before Harrisburg countered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Unfortunately for the Baysox, and the baseball fans in attendance, those would be the only runs of the game despite the good guys out-hitting the Senators 8-3.
Brandon Barker took a tough loss for the Baysox going 6 strong innings while allowing both earned runs on just 3 hits. Top-15 prospect Jesus Liranzo finished the game for the Baysox striking out two over two hitless innings of relief.
On the offensive side, the Baysox finished with 10 strikeouts and went 1-8 with runners in scoring position. Not too good.
Frederick Keys 2, Salem (Red Sox) 1 (Game 1)
In the first of their two 7-inning games on Sunday, the Key’s were able to knock off the Red Sox high-A affiliate with a strong start from 2016 second-round pick, Keegan Akin. The Orioles 6th-ranked prospect picked up his first win on the season, striking out 7 Salem batters over 5 innings.
Akin’s ERA has been steadily declining after he allowed 6 ER in his first start of the season and failed to make it out of the first inning. Although his ERA still sits over 6, his strikeout numbers have been particularly impressive. The 22-year-old southpaw has now registered 24 K’s in only 15 innings of work on the young season.
Despite racking up 8 hits on the afternoon, the Keys scored their first run on a fielding error in the first inning, and their second run on a Ryan Mountcastle ground out in the fifth.
Frederick Keys 6, Salem (Red Sox) 0 (Game 2)
The Keys were able to shut out the Salem Red Sox in the make-up game to split the four-game series. It was not only the first shutout of the season for the Keys’ staff, but also the first time Salem has been shutout all season.
Not to be outdone by Akin’s strong start earlier in the afternoon, last year’s first-round draft pick Cody Sedlock allowed only 1 hit over 5 scoreless innings. The Orioles 2nd-ranked prospect lowered his ERA to 1.64 on the season as he continues to be too much for Carolina League batters.
Outfielder Steve Wilkerson and second baseman Drew Turbin each went 3-3 on the day for the Keys. Top-10 prospects Austin Hays, Ryan Mountcastle, and Jomar Reyes all added singles in the second game of the double header to continue their strong starts at the plate in 2017.
Hagerstown (Nationals) 4, Delmarva Shorebirds 1 (Game 1)
Just 30-minutes west of Frederick on I-70, Delmarva also found themselves playing a double-header on Sunday to make up for a postponement the night before. Unlike the Keys, the Shorebirds were on the losing end of both games in dramatic fashion.
Delmarva started the day off by taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Thanks to a strong start by last year’s 11th-round pick Zach Muckenhirn, it almost held too. Hagerstown finally got to Muckenhirn in the bottom of the 6th to tie it up at 1-1, and walked it off an inning later with a 3-run homer off of Shorebirds reliever Zeke McGranahan. Former 4th-round pick Ryan McKenna picked up two of Delmarva’s three hits with two doubles.
Hagerstown (Nationals) 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 4 (Game 2)
It was a good day to be a Walgreens fan in Hagerstown on Sunday. After hitting a walk-off home run to end game one of the doubleheader, the Suns walked it off again in game two, this time in extra innings.
Last year’s other second-round pick, Matthias Dietz, put together his strongest start in a Shorebirds uniform. He must’ve had Brooks on the brain as the tall 21-year-old from John A. Logan College scattered 5 hits over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts.
On the offensive end, let me start by telling you this: Preston Palmeiro has never had a better game in the minor leagues, period. Rafi’s son went 3-4 with 2 doubles and a home run.
Complete box scores for all of Sunday’s games can be found here.
Today’s Scheduled Games
- Norfolk: OFF
- Bowie: at Richmond, 6:35. Starter: John Means
- Frederick: OFF
- Delmarva: vs. Lakewood, 7:05. Starter: Travis Seabrooke