Orioles minors recap 8/1: Pedro Alvarez single-handedly lifts Norfolk to victory

First things first, let’s welcome the newest batch of prospects to the Orioles’ system, acquired in the Birds’ trades with the Braves (for Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day) and Brewers (for Jonathan Schoop).

Triple-A Norfolk will be receiving righty reliever Evan Phillips from the Braves trade. Double-A Bowie will add catcher Brett Cumberland and lefty starter Bruce Zimmermann (from the Braves) and righty starter Luis Ortiz (from the Brewers). Low-A Delmarva will receive infielder Jean Carlos Encarnacion, perhaps the most highly touted prospect from the Braves deal. And short-season Aberdeen will add infielder Jean Carmona from the Brewers. Welcome, fresh blood!

Norfolk Tides 4, Charlotte Knights (White Sox) 3 — 11 innings

That score should probably read “Pedro Alvarez 4, Charlotte Knights 3.” The veteran DH drove in all four runs for the Tides, powering a pair of solo homers in regulation and then ripping a two-run single in the top of the 11th to break a two-all tie. The losing pitcher for the Knights was named Aaron Bummer. For him, losing a game must’ve felt like a real...letdown.

Cedric Mullins and DJ Stewart each went 0-for-4, but each also drew a walk and scored a run. Chance Sisco contributed two singles. On the mound, the Tides patched together a bullpen game, with the bulk of the work going to Stacey’s cousin Lucas Long (not actually Stacey’s cousin), who held Charlotte to one run in four innings of relief. Knuckleballer Eddie Gamboa threw two innings for the victory.

Akron RubberDucks (Indians) 7, Bowie Baysox 4

The most exciting moment in this game came in the top of the ninth, when Rylan Bannon — part of the haul from the Manny Machado trade — blasted a three-run homer, his second since joining the Orioles’ organization. Still, with Bowie trailing by six runs entering that frame, it only cut the deficit in half, and Akron finished off a 7-4 win.

Yusniel Diaz, the headliner of the Machado deal, reached base three times with two singles and a walk. Corban Joseph hit his 13th homer, while Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan McKenna were a combined 0-for-7. Starter Luis Ysla gave up only one earned run in six innings but took the loss; Zach Muckenhirn gave up three runs in relief.

Potomac Nationals 7, Frederick Keys 2

The Nationals snapped the Keys’ six-game winning streak, pouncing on Frederick starter Alex Wells for five runs and nine hits in 5.1 innings. The Aussie southpaw drops to 4-7 with a 3.93 ERA this season. He’s clearly finding the Carolina League a bit more challenging than the South Atlantic League that he dominated last year. I guess that’s sort of how the minor leagues works, huh?

The Keys didn’t have much of a chance, considering that they managed only three hits the entire game. They were dominated by Potomac starter Joan Baez. ...Wait, seriously? His name is Joan Baez? That’s delightful! Maybe someday he’ll get to meet the other Joan Baez and, like, collaborate on a folk song about baseball or something.

Lakewood BlueClaws (Phillies) 3, Delmarva Shorebirds 1

This one was decided in the ninth, as the BlueClaws tallied a pair of runs off reliever Nick Vespi to break a 1-1 tie. Before that, though, top pitching prospect DL Hall continued his impressive 2018 season with four shutout innings and five strikeouts. He struggled with his control a bit, walking four batters and throwing 76 pitches, hastening his early exit. His ERA is down to 2.27.

The Shorebirds’ offense turned their 11 baserunners into just one run. They hit into three double plays, were caught stealing once, and had a runner thrown out trying to advance to second on a sac fly. They went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Aberdeen Ironbirds 7, Staten Island Yankees 5

The Ironbirds spread the wealth throughout their starting lineup, with five hitters racking up multi-hit games. Among them was Austin Hays, on a rehab assignment from Bowie, who had a double and two RBIs. J.C. Escarra powered his fourth homer. Adam Hall went hitless, but drove in a run on a sac fly.

Hector Guance was the winning pitcher despite giving up four runs in five innings. Kevin Magee worked two scoreless innings of relief and Zach Matson one.

Complete box scores can be found here.

Wednesday’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk at Charlotte, 7:04 PM. Starter: Jimmy Yacabonis (3-4, 3.90)
• Bowie at Akron, 7:05 PM. Starter: Brian Gonzalez (3-5, 6.75)
• Frederick vs. Potomac, 7:00 PM. Starter: Michael Baumann (6-2, 3.34)
• Delmarva vs. Lakewood, 7:05 PM. Starter: Jhon Peluffo (3-6, 6.38)
• Aberdeen at Staten Island, 12:00 PM. Starter: TBD