Orioles prospects 8/13: The Bowie outfield refuses to cool down

Rochester (Twins) 4, Norfolk Tides 3

The Tides got a solid start by Gabriel Ynoa but were hurt by a costly error as they fell to the Orioles’ former AAA affiliate. Ynoa tossed seven innings allowing four runs, three earned, but took the loss. The 24-year-old struck out seven and walked none.

Norfolk struggled to get much of anything going on offense and finished the game with only three opportunities with runners in scoring position. 2013 NL home run champion Pedro Alvarez went 2-for-4 in the team’s only multi-hit performance. Alvarez has got to be excited for his imminent return to the big leagues once rosters expand on September 1st.

Bowie Baysox 8, Portland (Red Sox) 6

The Baysox committed three errors on the afternoon but sloppy defense doesn’t matter much when your bats are as hot as theirs. The heart of the Bowie lineup combined to go 10-for-18 with two homers and six RBI between Austin Hays, Anthony Santander, DJ Stewart, and Aderlin Rodriguez.

Austin Hays had yet another multi-hit game for the Baysox going 2-for-5 with two RBI. That makes it three straight multi-hit contests as Hays somehow continues to increase his batting average at Bowie, which is now up to .350. If Santander is going to show any signs of cooling off, he may just have to do it in Baltimore. The Rule-5 selection is due for a call-up this week and certainly didn’t hurt his chances going 2-for-4 with his fifth home run in 15 games.

DJ Stewart added his 17th long ball of the year in the eighth inning in what has quietly been a great season for the former 1st-round draft pick. After dropping way down prospect lists prior to the year, Stewart is on pace to finish with 20+ doubles, 20+ homers, and 20+ stolen bases. His .358 on base percentage is a sight for sore eyes within the Orioles organization.

Potomac (Nationals) 9, Frederick Keys 5

Considering how most of his season has gone, last year’s 1st-round draft pick Cody Sedlock had a pretty good day on Sunday. The Illinois product surrendered three earned runs, five total, over five innings. Nothing special, but the five innings represent his longest outing since returning from the DL with elbow trouble.

On offense, the Keys scattered eight hits, but none of them came with runners in scoring position. If you think about it, it’s actually pretty impressive they still managed to score five runs. First baseman Shane Hoelscher had the best day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double.

Delmarva Shorebirds 6, Lakewood (Phillies) 4

Matthias Dietz got off to a rocky start in 2017 after being drafted in the second round out of JUCO in 2016. Luckily for the Orioles, and the 21-year-old righty, Dietz has more signs of consistency as the year has gone on, including Sunday. The tall right-hander allowed only three hits over six innings, giving up one earned run while striking out six. Over his last ten outings, Dietz has averaged over 5 innings per start with an ERA of 3.68.

The Shorebirds’ lineup plated six runs, but only combined for two RBI thanks to two costly errors and a serious display of wild pitches.

In one instance, Delmarva SS Milton Ramos reached on a single to lead off the bottom of the second inning, and then two batters later took second base on a wild pitch. With Tanner Kirk still batting, Ramos took third base on another wild pitch, and then ran home on yet another wild pitch in the same at-bat. Somehow, Blue Claws starter Adonis Medina still didn’t issue a walk despite hitting a batter and throwing four wild pitches, three of which in one at-bat.

Aberdeen IronBirds 8, West Virginia (Pirates) 3

The Ironbirds took the rubber match of their series with the first place Black Bears as they continue their strong season 30 minutes up I-95 from Baltimore. The fightin’ Cals scored eight runs on 13 hits even without slugger Ben Breazeale in the lineup.

Jimmy Murphy picked up the win for Aberdeen in what can only be attributed to the powers bestowed upon him from his magical rec specs. The 2017 draftee out of Fordham surrendered one run on three hits over three innings. On offense, the IronBirds got multi-hit efforts from four players, including three-hit games from 2017 draft pick Trevor Craport and 2013 draft pick Josh Hart.

Complete box scores from Sunday’s games can be found here.

Monday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk: OFF
• Bowie: OFF
• Frederick: at Wilmington, 6:35. Starter: Reid Love
• Delmarva: OFF
• Aberdeen: OFF