Orioles minor league recap 8/23: Zac Lowther does it again

Gwinnett (Braves) 8, Norfolk Tides 7

Dean Kremer’s second start with Norfolk went much better than his debut. Over five innings, the righty allowed three runs on five hits, a walk and five strikeouts. Branden Kline tossed one shutout inning in relief. And then the lead slipped away. Hunter Cervenka gave up a pair of runs in 1.1 innings of work, and Tanner Scott blew the save by serving up three runs on four hits, no walks and one strikeout in 1.2 innings.

There were more positives on the offensive side of things as the Tides lineup combined for 12 hits. Austin Hays led the way with two hits, including his ninth home run, and a stolen base. Dwight Smith Jr. added a three-run bomb of his own. Rylan Bannon went 2-for-5. And Ryan Mountcastle had a 1-for-4 night.

Bowie Baysox 9, Altoona (Pirates) 2

Zac Lowther just gets results. The southpaw was great once again in a winning effort for the Baysox. Over six frames, he allowed just one run on a solo home run, five hits, one walk and six strikeouts. His season ERA is now 2.71. Tyler Erwin was first out of the ‘pen; he gave up a run on two hits and two walks in one inning of work. Jay Flaa shined in relief, striking out four in two shutout innings.

Anderson Feliz had a massive game, recording four hits, two doubles, and four RBI. Cedric Mullins hit a round-tripper and drove in a pair. Ryan McKenna was 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Mason McCoy tripled and singled in four trips to the plate. And Brett Cumberland added two walks.

Potomac (Nationals) —, Frederick Keys —

Postponed due to rain

Greensboro (Pirates) 11, Delmarva Shorebirds 3

Even the Shorebirds have bad nights. Drew Rom got touched up for seven runs on 10 hits, three walks and four strikeouts over 3.2 innings. The effort raised his ERA by almost half a point to 3.09, Matthew Hammonds wasn’t much better in relief, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks in just 2.2 innings. But at least there was Felix Bautista, who turned in an impressive 2.2-inning, six-strikeout performance to finish up Delmarva’s pitching responsibilities.

Johnny Rizer was the standout on offense. He was 3-for-3 at the plate and scored a run. Adam Hall and Seamus Curran added a single each. Cody Roberts tripled and walked. Adley Rutschman, however, is still looking for his first South Atlantic League hit. The DH was 0-for-3 with an RBI ground out, a walk and a strikeout. J.C. Encarnacion was 0-for-4 with a trio of K’s.

Aberdeen IronBirds 4, Staten Island (Yankees) 1 F/6

For some reason, this rain-shortened game is counted as completing six innings even though it was called off after the IronBirds half of the sixth, leaving the two teams with uneven offensive chances. Whatever, we will go with it!

Kevin Magee went the distance on the mound, striking out 10 batters, walking none while allowing a run on three hits in five innings of work. At 23, he is quite old for the New York-Penn League level, but that is an impressive performance nonetheless.

The newly Rutschman-and-Welk-less lineup still compiled eight hits. Jean Carmona singled twice and scored a run in three at-bats. Yusniel Diaz doubled in his rehab stint. Kyle Stowers took an 0-for-3. And Joey Ortiz went 1-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI.

Complete box scores from Thursday’s set of games can be found here.

Friday’s Scheduled Games

Norfolk: at Charlotte (White Sox), 7:04 p.m. Starter: Keegan Akin (5-6, 4.92 ERA)

Bowie: vs Altoona, 7:05 p.m. Starter: Alex Wells (8-3, 2.40 ERA)

Frederick: at Fayetteville (Astros), 7 p.m. Starter: Brenan Hanifee (8-9, 4.35 ERA)

Delmarva: at Hagerstown (Nationals), 7:05 p.m. Starter: Grayson Rodriguez (9-3, 2.59 ERA)

Aberdeen: at Staten Island (Yankees), 7 p.m. Starter: TBD