Orioles minor league recap 7/26: Alex Wells dazzles for Frederick

Game 1: Norfolk Tides 2, Syracuse Chiefs (Nationals) 1

The Norfolk offense did a whole lot of nothing. In fact, they were being no-hit into the bottom of the seventh inning. Then, they ripped off four singles from Pedro Alvarez, Andrew Susac, Garabez Rosa and Mike Yastrzemski to win 2-1 in walk-off fashion. Cedric Mullins, Breyvic Valera and D.J. Stewart all went 0-for-3 with Stewart adding two strikeouts.

John Means (2.87 ERA) was fantastic on the mound, but went home with the hard-luck no-decision despite allowing just one run on five hits, a walk and three strikeouts over 6.2 innings. Donnie Hart got the win after striking out one batter to finish the seventh inning.

Game 2: Syracuse 8, Norfolk 1

The bad day at the plate continued for the Tides. Mullins was 0-for-1 with a strikeout. Stewart went hitless as well, striking out all three times. Chance Sisco had an 0-for-2 night, as did Drew Dosch. The only hits came from Valera, Alvarez and Yastrzemski. Luis Sardinas had the lone RBI, a ground out to score Alvarez from third after he had doubled.

Matt Wotherspoon started, but quickly left after giving up three runs on five walks, two hits and two strikeouts over two innings. Francisco Jimenez picked up the torch of terrible-ness by allowing five runs on five hits, two walks and a strikeout in 1.1 innings. Tim Melville and Ryan Meisinger combined for 2.2 scoreless innings, so that’s nice.

Also, there was this:

Bowie Baysox 10, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets) 5

What a day for the Baysox bats. Everyone had a hit except for Yusniel Diaz. The main piece in the Manny Machado trade went 0-for-4 but did walk and score a run. Corban Joseph and Aderlin Rodriguez both went yard. That dong was one of three hits for Joseph, who also registered his 27th double of the season. Ryan McKenna was 1-for-4 with a double. Ryan Mountcastle had a 1-for-4 night and also walked once and struck out twice. The O’s top prospect also made his 10th error of the year at third base. On a positive defensive note, McKenna threw out a runner out at home on a single to right field.

Christian Binford had a solid showing on the mound, fanning four, walking one and allowing just two runs on eight hits. Zach Muckenhirn followed and had a less fun time, serving up two runs in 1.2 innings of work. And it was Jay Flaa who blew the save by allowing an unearned run to score but then got the win because Bowie scored five runs in the seventh inning and Flaa went on to throw 2.1 innings with the earlier unearned run as his lone blemish.

Frederick Keys 6, Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox) 5 F/11

Alex Wells had a very Alex Wells-y start. The lefty threw seven scoreless innings, walking just one and striking out three while allowing seven hits. Elvis Araujo came in behind him and worked around a single, a walk and a fielding error (Preston Palmeiro) to escape the eighth inning without any runs scoring. But then he stayed on for the ninth and absolutely imploded.

Araujo hit the first batter, and then allowed two singles, a sac fly and a three-run homer to tie the game. Mercifully, he was lifted in favor of Issac Silva. Silva pitched the remaining 2.2 innings and scattered four hits and two walks, while striking out one and allowing one unearned run to notch the win.

Collin Woody smacked his seventh home run of the summer and his 16th double during a three-hit, four-RBI performance. T.J. Nichting, Chris Clare, Jomar Reyes and Stuart Levy all added two-base hits as well. Aside from Palmeiro’s error, he had a hit and two walks at the plate.

Game 1: Delmarva Shorebirds —, Hagerstown Suns (Nationals) —

POSTPONED

Game 2: Delmarva —, Hagerstown —

POSTPONED

Aberdeen IronBirds 5, West Virginia Black Bears (Pirates) 1

Alexis Torres had three hits, including his sixth double. Nick Horvath had two hits. Robert Neustrom, Seamus Curran, Dalton Hoiles, Adam Hall and Willy Yahn all registered one hit. As a group, the IronBirds had 10 hits, eight strikeouts, no walks and no home runs.

Matthew Hammonds started and tossed four innings, allowing one run on four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts along the way. Kevin Magee earned the win with three scoreless frames from the ‘pen. Brandon Bonilla and Ryan Conroy both delivered one shutout inning each.

Elsewhere

Drew Rom threw three innings in the Gulf Coast League, allowing just one run on a solo dong. The 18-year-old southpaw also struck out four and now has an ERA of 2.37 through 19 innings of work. He was a fourth-round pick out of a Kentucky high school in this summer’s draft.

Antonio Pujols tossed five shutout innings in the Dominican Summer League, striking out eight and walking one while allowing three hits. He has a 2.08 ERA in 30.1 innings of work this year. The O’s signed the 20-year-old lefty in June after he was released by the Astros.

Box scores for all of the O’s minor league teams

Thursday’s games

• Tides vs Syracuse, game 1, 12:05 p.m. Starter: RHP Lucas Long (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
• Tides vs Syracuse, game 2, TBD, Starter: LHP Sean Gilmartin (1-0, 4.50 ERA)
• Baysox at Harrisburg (Nationals), 7 p.m. Starter: TBD
• Keys at Winston-Salem, 7 p.m. Starter: RHP Michael Baumann (5-2, 3.67 ERA)
• Shorebirds at Hagerstown, game 1, 5:05 p.m. Starter: LHP D.L. Hall (2-5, 2.44 ERA)
• Shorebirds at Hagerstown, game 2, TBD, Starter: LHP Cameron Bishop (8-4, 2.74 ERA)
• IronBirds at West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. Starter: TBD