Orioles minor league recap 6/1: Hunter Harvey makes his longest start of the year

Louisville Bats 4, Norfolk Tides 0

The Tides offense was held scoreless in this affair, with the team going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and leaving six men on base. They only managed four hits on the night: two by third baseman Anderson Feliz, one by Mason Williams and one by Joey Rickard, who is hitting .167 since his demotion. Norfolk managed to work just one walk versus nine strikeouts as a team.

Tyler Herb was the losing pitcher despite allowing one unearned run over the course of seven innings. Norfolk’s two errors included a throwing error by Herb and a fielding error by Ryan Mountcastle at first base. Herb gave up five hits and walked two while striking out four, lowering his ERA to 4.15 in the process. Tanner Scott finished the game, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings with one strikeout, no hits and no walks. His Triple-A ERA is 4.61.

Hartford Yard Goats 2, Bowie Baysox 1

The Yard Goats squeaked by Hunter Harvey and the Baysox by a razor thing margin Friday night. Bowie was playing from behind for the entirety, in a game that only took one hour and 58 minutes to complete.

Bowie’s promising right-hander had a strong start, going 7.1 innings (89 pitches, 58 strikes) while allowing five hits, two runs (one earned), two walks, five strikeouts and one home run. It was Harvey’s longest start of the season so far, lowering his ERA to 5.09. He also had a throwing error.

Austin Hays was 1-for-4 with a double, leaving his average at .303 for the year. Mark Trumbo got four at-bats in as the designated hitter while on rehab assignment, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout. Third baseman Rylan Bannon provided the Baysox only run; an RBI ground out in the seventh.

Frederick Keys 5, Lynchburg Hillcats 1

DL Hall got his second win of the year after throwing five innings of one-run ball. He allowed only two hits and one run while walking three batters and striking out six. On the year, he’s got 59 strikeouts and 22 walks in 35 innings. Diogenes Almengo got the save for the Keys, throwing two scoreless innings with zero hits, three walks and two strikeouts.

Home runs were provided by JC Escarra (a solo shot in the third) and Zach Jarrett (a two-run shot in the sixth). Center fielder Cole Billingsley had a 4-for-4 night at the plate with two runs scored and one RBI. He’s hitting .363 with an .876 OPS on the year. Second baseman Sean Miller was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Frederick Keys 3, Lynchburg Hillcats 0

In a makeup of the postponed game at Lynchburg on May 5, the Keys were able to win a close one against the Hillcats. Frederick’s David Lebron and Luis Perez combined for a seven inning shutout, allowing a total of seven hits, three walks and six strikeouts.

Offense was provided by Jomar Reyes, who went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the fourth inning. Reyes now has a .280 batting average to go along with a .713 OPS. Yusniel Diaz was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk while batting leadoff as the designated hitter. Willy Yahn was 1-for-3 with a double, leaving his average at .287 on the year.

Greeneville Drive 3, Delmarva Shorebirds 2

Nick Vespi took the loss for Delmarva, bringing his record to 3-3. He allowed three runs (two earned) in 5.1 innings with three hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Vespi now has a 5.17 ERA and 1.43 WHIP on the year.

The Shorebirds’ offense was only 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, leaving six men on base. Shortstop Adam Hall was 2-for-4 at the plate to raise his average to .326, but he also had a throwing error in the field. Right fielder Doran Turchin was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. The only other two hits from the Shorebirds came off the bats of left fielder Will Robertson (.270) and third baseman JC Encarnacion (.275).

Complete box scores from Friday night’s games can be found here.

Saturday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk vs. Louisville, 7:05 PM ET. Starter: Keegan Akin (3-2, 3.70 ERA)
• Bowie vs. Hartford, 6:35 PM ET. Starter: Zac Lowther (4-3, 1.68 ERA)
• Frederick vs. Lynchburg, Game 1, 4:00 PM ET. Starter: Blaine Knight (0-0, 3.38 ERA)
• Frederick vs. Lynchburg, Game 2. Starter: Brenan Hanifee (3-4, 5.59 ERA)
• Delmarva at Greenville, 7:05 PM ET. Starter: Ofelky Peralta (4-0, 1.51 ERA)