Orioles minor league recap 8/21: Yusniel Diaz goes deep again

Bowie Baysox 6, Richmond (Giants) 2

Yusniel Diaz blasted a three-run home run for the second straight night, and Bowie defeated Richmond 6-2. Diaz has now hit three, three-run home runs in his last seven games. Man, Earl Weaver would have liked this kid. Diaz finished 2-5 with the three RBIs.

Corban Joseph also shined for Bowie. The DH drove in the other three runs for the Baysox, and went 3-4 on the day. Bowie scored four in the first, and added a run in the second to pick up the early advantage. They tallied 14 hits, and tacked on one more run in the eighth.

Brian Gonzalez pitched six strong innings to pick up his sixth win of the season. He allowed only four hits, and only one of his two runs allowed were earned. He walked three, and struck out four Richmond batters. Matthew Grimes and Zach Pop closed out the win without allowing a run.

Rome (Braves) 8, Delmarva 2

Delmarva kept things close for the majority of the game, but Rome scored six runs in the final three innings to pull away. Trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Delmarva allowed three runs. Rome tacked on a run in the eighth and two in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

Brandon Bonilla started the game for the Shorebirds and allowed two runs in four innings. Ryan Wilson pitched the next four frames, but he allowed four runs on five hits. Diogenes Almengo was the only Shorebird not to allow a run, and he pitched only two-thirds of an inning. Trevor Craport was the only bright spot for Delmarva on offense. He tallied three of the team’s seven hits. He doubled in the seventh and later scored.

Aberdeen 6, Vermont (Athletics) 5

After briefly surrendering the lead in the sixth, Aberdeen scored a run in the seventh and another in the eighth to reclaim the lead. The IronBirds finished with only five hits, and no players had multi-hit games. Still, they scored six runs and won the contest. Sometimes minor league baseball can be weird.

Aberdeen starter Matthew Hammonds was charged with all five of Vermonts runs. He threw 5.2 innings and allowed 10 hits. Tyler Joyner picked up the win in relief and J.J. Montgomery notched his first save of the season.

Box scores for the games can be found here

Today’s scheduled games

Norfolk vs. Charlotte, 7:05. Starter: Matt Wotherspoon (2-7, 4.65)

Bowie at Richmond, 6:35. Starter: TBD

Frederick at Salem, 7:05. Starter: TBD

Delmarva vs. Rome, 7:05. Starter: TBD

Aberdeen at Vermont, 7:05. Starter: TBD