Orioles minor league recap 5/28: Akin dominates for Bowie

Norfolk Tides 8, Toledo (Tigers) 4

The Tides broke this game open in the first inning by pushing seven runs across. All seven of those runs were charged to Jordan Zimmermann, who was making a rehab start for the Mud Hens. Garabez Rosa hit his fourth home run of the season and SS Adrian Marin and 3B Renato Nunez each had two RBI. Only three Tides didn’t drive in a run in what was a very balanced offensive attack. Caleb Joseph went 1-5 and is hitting .278 at the AAA level.

RHP Yefry Ramirez picked up the win and improved to 2-3 on the season. The 24 year-old’s ERA is inflated due to two very poor starts but he is an intriguing talent. He has averaged over a strikeout per inning for the Tides this season.

This was Norfolk’s sixth win in a row and they moved past Durham into first place in the International League South standings.

Bowie Baysox 7, Binghamton (Mets) 0

Two players who could be in Baltimore by the end of 2018 led the way as Bowie routed Binghamton. LHP Keegan Akin absolutely dominated in this game and won his fifth game of the year. He pitched seven shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out ten. His ERA sunk to 2.97. It marked the first time since 2011 when a Bowie pitcher recorded multiple double-digit strikeout performances in a season.

Offensively, OF Cedric Mullins collected four hits (including a double and triple), three runs, and an RBI. The speedy outfielder is batting .319/.368/.521 and has batted .427 in his last 18 games. He’s also stolen eight bases this season for good measure. He’s a switch hitter and the O’s need a left-handed outfielder. Can we put Mullins and Akin on the next train to Baltimore?

Another top prospect, Ryan Mountcastle, went 1-5 and drove in a run. Corban Joseph went 3-5 with two doubles and two RBI.

Carolina League game 1 resumed from last night: Down East (Rangers) 4, Frederick Keys 1

This game was picked up in the 7th inning as the power in the Down East Wood Ducks’ stadium went out last night. Ain’t minor league baseball great? If you count only the innings that were played today, Frederick won 1-0! Unfortunately, that isn’t the way this works. The Keys lost despite out-hitting Down East 7-6.

The Keys scored their only run of the game today on a Jomar Reyes home run, his third of the season. After re-establishing himself as a highly-regarding prospect with a very nice 2017 campaign, Reyes is struggling this season. His OPS is now .620, though his 26 RBI are tied for seventh in the Carolina League.

Carolina League game 2: Down East (Rangers) 11, Frederick Keys 4

Frederick’s second game got ugly. Starter Lucas Humpal, a 2016 ninth rounder, gave up seven runs in 4.1 innings of work to put the Keys in an early hole. Mike Burke relieved him and threw gasoline on the fire instead of putting it out, allowing four runs in 1.2 innings.

OF Ryan McKenna delivered three more hits and raised his batting average to .356. He leads the Carolina League in batting (by over 40 points!!) and OPS and shows no signs of regressing to the mean. 2B Preston Palmeiro continued his solid campaign by driving in his 31st and 32nd runs in with a double.

South Atlantic League game 1: Lakewood (Phillies) 3, Delmarva Shorebirds 2 (7 innings)

A doubleheader was played in Salisbury to make up for a previous rainout. As such, both games only went seven innings. Again, ain’t minor league baseball great?! 2017 first-rounder DL Hall started for the Shorebirds and was underwhelming, allowing all three runs on four hits. Hall’s strikeout numbers are somewhat concerning. He has punched out three batters in each of his last three outings and 26 in 29.1 innings this season. We would expect more from such a touted pitcher coming out of high school. He did throw a season-high 5.2 innings yesterday as his arm continues to get stretched out.

Like Frederick in their first game, Delmarva out-hit their opponent but still lost. 3B Trevor Craport had two hits and DH Max Hogan had on the only RBI (his first homer of the season) for the Shorebirds.

South Atlantic League game 2: Lakewood (Phillies) 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 2 (7 innings)

Cameron Ming started for Delmarva and allowed only one (unearned) run in four innings. This was only his third game of the season, but he’s yet to allow an earned run in 10.1 innings. The 2017 14th rounder is off to an impressive start. Reed Hayes (picked one round before Ming last year) pitched a scoreless 5th and 6th and Delmarva took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th. But Hayes coughed up the lead by allowing four runs to score.

Mason McCoy had two hits and an RBI for Delmarva and has hit safely in nine of his last eleven games. The other run was plated by Max Hogan, who drove in runs in both games. Ryan Ripken went 0-3 and is batting .254.

These two losses allowed Lakewood to move within a game of Delmarva for second place in the South Atlantic League Northern Division.

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

Monday’s scheduled games:

Norfolk at Toledo, 6:05. Starter: Jimmy Yacabonis

Bowie at Binghamton, 2:05. Starter: Jayson Aquino

Frederick at Down East, 4:00. Starter: Alex Wells

Delmarva vs. Lakewood, 2:05. Starter: TBD