Orioles minor league recap 4/21: Ryan Mountcastle homers yet again

Charlotte (White Sox) 6, Norfolk Tides 5 (Game 1 - 7 innings)

The Tides were leading this game 5-0 after starting pitcher Yefry Ramirez got them through five shutout innings with just one hit and three walks allowed, striking out seven. He has yet to allow three starts. That’s good! Except then they lost, in part because rehabbing big leaguer Nate Karns gave up three runs while pitching just one third of an inning, with up-to-now-perfect reliever Jay Flaa coughing up the last run in the seventh to take the loss.

There is good news even in defeats in the minors - well, sometimes. Prospect Ryan Mountcastle blasted his fourth home run in his past five games as part of a game where he drove in four runs, raising his season OPS to .882. Erstwhile Oriole Stevie Wilkerson had a 3-3 game, scored two runs, and is now OPSing .935 for the season. He also stole a base.

Norfolk Tides 5, Charlotte (White Sox) 2 (Game 2 - 7 innings)

Remember how I said Mountcastle’s season OPS is up to .882? Just kidding, because in the second game of the doubleheader he added another two hits and now it’s .919. DJ Stewart also picked up two hits in the game to improve his OPS to .819. The Tides capitalized on a pair of Knights errors to score four unearned runs in this game.

Another erstwhile Oriole, Josh Rogers, held Charlotte to just a run on four hits in six innings. He struck out four Knights batters in the game and did not walk anyone.

The Norfolk season didn’t start off great, but they’ve improved somewhat and are now 7-10.

Akron (Indians) 1, Bowie Baysox 0 (Game 1 - 8 innings)

It took into extra innings (for a minor league doubleheader) to settle this one since neither team could score in regulation. Each team had five hits but only in the eighth did Akron grab a clutch hit to get on the board.

Not a great game for the position player prospects of Bowie. Yusniel Diaz and Rylan Bannon were both 0-3, though each drew a walk. Ryan McKenna was 1-4.

This game marked the 2019 debut for lefty Alex Wells. He kept the RubberDucks off of the board for his 4.2 innings, picking up five strikeouts, though with four hits and three walks allowed he did have his share of baserunners against him. He threw 86 pitches.

Akron (Indians) 2, Bowie Baysox 0 (Game 2 - 7 innings)

Getting shut out in both ends of a doubleheader is a tough time. The Baysox had just four hits in this one after getting five in the first game. Diaz and Bannon did not go hitless this time, each 1-3 in the second game.

Spin-heavy lefty Zac Lowther held Akron to a run in five innings, with a solo home run the only damage done against him. He gave up three hits total, walked two, and struck out two, and now sports a 1.93 ERA through three Bowie starts. That’ll do. Reliever Zach Pop had a tough one inning of work, giving up a run despite not allowing any hits since he walked four dudes.

After this second loss, Bowie is 3-13 on their season.

Frederick Keys 6, Salem (Red Sox) 4 (Game 1 - 7 innings)

Any time any baseball team affiliated with the Red Sox loses is good. But it wasn’t great news for Orioles pitching prospect DL Hall, who gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in just three innings pitched. His Frederick ERA is now 6.30, though the season is young.

Early-season standout Mason McCoy, the Frederick shortstop, continued his hitting ways with two hits and two runs scored. That’s good for a .397 batting average so far and a .943 OPS.

Salem (Red Sox) 11, Frederick Keys 1 (Game 2 - 7 innings)

The only good thing to say about this game is that NASCAR scion Zach Jarrett, the Keys right fielder, was 3-3. Frederick also had a bad beginning to their season, but they’ve improved a bit too, falling to 7-9 with this loss.

Greensboro (Pirates) 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 4

One game of a scheduled doubleheader was rained out, so the two teams just played one regular nine inning affair. Delmarva starter Gray Fenter had an eventful 2.1 innings, managing to give up six runs, four earned, on six hits and three walks. He allowed three home runs. Seven of the eight outs he recorded were strikeouts.

Lefty Drew Rom, who is MLB Pipeline’s #28 Orioles prospect, had a better time in relief. Rom has been a piggyback long reliever in Fenter’s games so far. He struck out six Grasshoppers in four innings, surrendering a run on four hits.

Right fielder Robert Neustrom, the #29 prospect, was on base twice with a hit and a walk. One of those times, he stole second base and then got himself picked off of second base. Oops! But he’s got a .995 OPS for the season to date and I wonder how long before Frederick is where he patrols the outfield.

Shortstop Cadyn Grenier, the #17 prospect, was 2-5 and drove in one of Delmarva’s runs. #14 prospect Adam Hall, playing second base in this game, had a 1-4 night and also drove in a run. Hall’s early-season OPS sits at .844, which is enough to be intriguing.

This was just Delmarva’s second loss of the year. They’re 12-2.

Complete box scores from these many games can be found here.

Sunday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk: vs. Charlotte, 1:05. Starter: Gabriel Ynoa
• Bowie: OFF
• Frederick: vs. Salem, 1:05. Starter: Cody Sedlock
• Delmarva: OFF