Orioles minor league recap 8/3: All 6’s and 7’s for several affiliates

Norfolk Tides 7, Durham Bulls 6

The Tides won in dramatic fashion on Friday, securing a walk-off win at home in the 10th inning. Norfolk went into the bottom of the ninth down by a run, but Austin Wynns worked a bases loaded walk to tie the score at six. An inning later, Rio Ruiz came up with a clutch single to drive home the winning run.

Ruiz was 3-for-5 in the game with three RBIs and Ryan Mountcastle was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Shortstop Jack Reinheimer was 1-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Austin Hays was only 1-for-5 at the plate but he got his first stolen base of the year. Norfolk showed a great deal of patience at the plate as a team, working seven walks on the night.

Starter Bruce Zimmermann pitched six innings and gave up two earned runs. He allowed four hits and three walks while striking out six. The left-hander now has a 6.30 ERA in two starts with Norfolk after making 17 starts with Bowie earlier this year.

Portland Sea Dogs 7, Bowie Baysox 6

Bowie came out on the wrong end of a close one, with Portland scoring four runs in the top of the ninth to take the definitive lead of the game. The Baysox had scored two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth, taking a 6-3 lead into the ninth. But that’s when things fell apart.

Cristian Alvarado was the responsible party on the mound. He allowed three hits and a walk en route to blowing the lead. In a strange twist, he did record three strikeouts between the four earned runs in his only inning of work. Michael Baumann had started the game for Bowie, but he only lasted 0.2 innings while allowing three runs.

At the plate, Cedric Mullins was 3-for-5 with a stolen base. Don’t look now, but he’s got his average all the way up to .271. Ryan McKenna also had a steal and one hit in five trips to the plate. T.J. Nichting was 2-for-4 with three RBIs on the night and Mason McCoy was 2-for-5.

Down East Wood Ducks 7, Frederick Keys 4

Ofelky Peralta had a night to forget on Friday when he allowed seven runs in four innings to lower his record to 0-2. He gave up seven hits — including two home runs — and four walks while striking out two. His ERA is now an unsightly 8.44.

The Frederick offense was unable to dig themselves out of the early hole they were put in. Already down 7-0, they made a valiant effort to come back, scoring a run in the fifth and then three more in the sixth. But that was the closest they would get to the Wood Ducks all night. Notable contributors were Robert Neustrom, who went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored, and J.C. Escarra, who went 2-for-4.

Delmarva Shorebirds 8, Greenville Drive 5

In the completion of their game suspended on August 1, Delmarva edged out Greenville by a margin of three runs. Gray Fenter started and lasted three scoreless innings, but it was Nick Vespi who earned the win with two scoreless innings after Fenter. Despite having two relievers combine to allow five runs over the last four innings, the Shorebirds held on for the win with a little help from their offense.

The power was provided by Ryne Ogren and Seamus Curran, who each had a solo home run in the fourth inning. Ogren had two RBIs, a walk and a double in addition to his home run. Despite going 1-for-5, shortstop Adam Hall is still hitting .310 overall with an .801 OPS. Johnny Rizer was 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored.

Note: Friday night’s regularly scheduled game between the Shorebirds and Drive was cancelled due to rain.

Vermont Lake Monsters 7, Aberdeen Ironbirds 6

With Adley Rutschman getting the night off, Aberdeen lost a close one at home. Marcos Molina had an abbreviated outing that lasted two innings. He allowed two hits, one run and a strikeout while throwing 36 pitches. The next two pitchers combined to allow six runs (five earned) over 4.2 innings.

The Ironbirds’ offense was 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left six on base. Second baseman Andrew Fregia was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while center fielder Shayne Fontana went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Kyle Stowers was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. He is now hitting .231 with a .646 OPS in 108 at-bats in the New York-Penn League.

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

Saturday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk vs. Durham, 7:05 PM ET. Starter: Luis Ysla (3-6, 6.80 ERA)
• Bowie vs. Portland, 6:35 PM ET. Starter: Tyler Herb (1-2, 7.71 ERA)
• Frederick at Down East, 6:00 PM ET. Starter: Brenan Hanifee (8-9, 4.46 ERA)
• Delmarva at Charleston, 6:05 PM ET. Starter: Drew Rom (6-2, 2.35 ERA)
• Aberdeen vs. Vermont, 6:05 PM ET. Starter: TBD