Orioles minors recap 6/23: Tides’ offense explodes for 16 runs

Norfolk Tides 16, Louisville Bats (Reds) 1

Holy smokes, was it ever a good night to be a Norfolk Tides hitter. The Tides hit a new high-water mark for the season with 16 runs and 20 hits. Seven Norfolk hitters had multi-hit games, none more impressive than cleanup man Renato Nunez, who went 5-for-6 with two RBIs. D.J. Stewart added three hits and four runs and bashed his seventh home run. If it were me, I would’ve promoted Stewart to the Orioles instead of bringing back Colby Rasmus, but what do I know?

Cedric Mullins featured prominently in the offensive attack, going 2-for-4 with a double, four runs scored, and two RBIs, and Andrew Susac made the game a laugher with a fourth-inning grand slam. The only Tides hitter who came up empty was rehabbing Oriole Tim Beckham, who was 0-for-3 from the leadoff spot. He’s now 2-for-19 on his rehab tour through Bowie and Norfolk.

Staked to double-digit run support, starter John Means cruised to an easy victory, delivering a quality start by allowing one run in six innings. He fared much better than his counterpart, Brandon Finnegan, who was torched for 10 runs in 3.1 innings.

Bowie Baysox 6, Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) 5 (6 innings)

Bowie was saved by the bell in this one — or, more accurately, saved by the rain. The Baysox were on the verge of blowing a 6-1 lead, with the Squirrels scoring three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, but storms overtook The Diamond in Richmond and the game was called after six innings.

Stacey’s cousin Lucas Long (not actually Stacey’s cousin) struggled again, getting cuffed around for four runs and nine hits in 4.2 innings, though he did strike out six. Long has a 5.43 ERA in 17 games. Tanner Chleborad vultured the victory in relief.

Corban Joseph, back in Bowie after his four-game stint with the Orioles, went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, as did Ryan Mountcastle. One of Mountcastle’s hits was a triple, in fact. Ryan McKenna, in his second game since being promoted to Bowie, was a spark plug atop the lineup. He drew two walks and scored twice.

Salem Red Sox 5, Frederick Keys 3

The Keys let this one get away from them, giving away a 3-2 late-inning lead by coughing up three runs in the eighth. After seven strong innings from Christian Alvarado, reliever Tyler Erwin surrendered three runs while retiring just one batter. The outing jumped Erwin’s ERA from 1.04 to 1.80.

Randolph Gassaway led the offense with three hits and an RBI, but the Keys missed out on chances to pad their run total. In the top of the eighth, the Keys somehow didn’t score despite the fact that Salem pitchers issued three walks, hit a batter, and threw two wild pitches.

Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox) 3, Delmarva Shorebirds 1

The South Atlantic League standings reset after the first half of the season, which means the Shorebirds have a fresh chance at making the playoffs if they win the second half. Unfortunately, they’re already off to an 0-2 start with back-to-back losses to Kannapolis.

Cameron Bishop took the loss despite a decent outing. He gave up two runs and three hits in five innings, walking two and fanning five. Offensively, the Shorebirds scattered eight hits but pushed only one run across, mainly because they went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. That’s positively Orioles-esque.

Aberdeen Ironbirds 2, Staten Island Yankees 0

The Ironbirds threw their first shutout of the young season, led by righty Luis Perez, who struck out six in five scoreless innings. Relievers Brandon Bonilla and Zach Matson, a pair of 2016 draft picks, each tossed two innings of relief. Matson was particularly impressive, striking out five of the six batters he faced. On the hitting side, shortstop Adam Hall, the Orioles’ second-round pick in 2017, singled and scored but struck out three times.

By the way, Staten Island’s leadoff man is named Alex Junior. As in, his last name is actually “Junior.” If he ever has a son, he should definitely name him Alex Junior Jr.

Complete box scores can be found here.

Today’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk at Louisville, 6:30 PM. Starter: Tim Melville (5-5, 5.29)
• Bowie at Richmond, doubleheader, Game 1 at 5:05 PM. Game 1 starter: TBD. Game 2 starter: Brian Gonzalez (1-3, 7.71)
• Frederick at Salem, 6:05 PM. Starter: Michael Baumann (4-0, 2.34)
• Delmarva vs. Kannapolis, 7:05. Starter: Brenan Hanifee (5-3, 2.91)
• Aberdeen at Staten Island, 7:00. Starter: TBD