Orioles minors recap 5/7: A cold day for all of the offenses

Norfolk Tides 2, Louisville (Reds) 1

The Tides managed only two hits yesterday, but one of them was a two-run homer off the bat of Joey Rickard and that was enough to complete a four game sweep of the Bats. Rickard continued his hot start to the season. He is now batting .329 with 17 RBI. One would assume that he will soon get an extended stay in Baltimore. Fellow outfielder DJ Stewart went 0-2 with a walk.

For the second game in a row, Sharlon Schoop outperformed his brother. In another minor league rehab game, Jonathan Schoop went hitless and struck out three times. His average for Norfolk sits at .125. There is a cheap joke to be made here about how he’ll fit in nicely with the parent club, but staying healthy and getting back into game shape is what is more important for Schoop.

The game was closed out by two pitchers who could see time at Camden Yards this summer. Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless eighth and struck out one batter, though he allowed one hit and walked two. He hasn’t given up a run in ten AAA innings, but his WHIP is a troubling 1.50. Donnie Hart worked two scoreless innings to pick up his third save.

Akron (Indians) 4, Bowie Baysox 1

Left-handed starter Keegan Akin (3-3, 3.31 ERA) took the loss but had a solid outing. He gave up two earned runs and struck out five in 5.2 innings. After two rough starts to begin the season, he’s lowered his ERA in each game and has punched out 36 batters in 32.2 innings. The O’s #9 prospect appears back on track.

Bowie’s offense collected only four hits, including one each from OF Austin Hays and 2B Adrian Marin. Cedric Mullins went hitless to leave his average .257. The loss completed a four game sweep at the hands of the RubberDucks.

Frederick Keys 3, Wilmington (Royals) 2

Frederick trailed 2-0 after seven innings, but scored two in the eighth to tie and one in the ninth to beat the Blue Rocks. Left-handed starter Alex Wells (0-3, 4.22 ERA) was left with a no-decision despite six scoreless innings. It wasn’t exactly pretty, as he allowed nine hits and walked one. But after two rough starts this was a step in the right direction.

OF Ryan McKenna raised his average to .348 with two hits. He also walked and scored a run, continuing his nice 2018 campaign. 3B Jomar Reyes collected one hit and one RBI and Preston Palmeiro went 0-5. Frederick took the series and have won five of seven as they try to recover from a slow start.

Augusta (Giants) 10, Delmarva Shorebirds 0

LHP DL Hall (0-1, 3.07 ERA) started his fifth game this season, but the final score isn’t an indication of how he pitched. He gave up three runs in four innings, both season highs as his innings are being monitored. This isn’t quite the dominance you’d expect from a first round pick, but coming out of high school he is still raw and his strikeout numbers are pretty good (17 in 14.2 IP).

Delmarva hung around through seven innings. As was the case for the entire organization, they struggled offensively. Kirvin Moesquit collected two of the four hits the Shorebirds managed on the day. The game got out of hand when Augusta scored two and five runs in the eighth and ninth innings respectively. Despite the loss, Delmarva still sits at 20-10.

Box scores from Sunday’s games can be found here.

Monday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk at Durham, 7:05. Starter: Jimmy Yacabonis
• Bowie at Altoona, 6:00. Starter: Jayson Aquino
• Frederick vs. Lynchburg, 7:00. Starter: Cristian Alvarado
• Delmarva vs. Augusta, 7:05. Starter: Michael Baumann