Orioles minor league recap 5/21: Kevin Smith K’s seven straight, Norfolk catchers make case for promotion

Triple-A: Jacksonville (Marlins) Jumbo Shrimp 5, Norfolk Tides 4

Alexander Wells started for Norfolk and allowed four runs (three earned) over 4.2 innings. Wells allowed six hits, two homers, one walk and struck out two. Isaac Mattson entered to close the fifth inning, and then the Tides turned to Mickey Jannis. The knuckleballer did not allow a hit over five innings, but took the loss after two sacrifices in the 10th inning. Jannis did not strike out or walk a batter, but the Jumbo Shrimp could not touch him.

Norfolk grabbed an early lead on a two-run home run by Brett Cumberland in the first inning. Austin Wynns served as the designated hitter and went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Wynns is now hitting .344. Cumberland finished 2-5 to elevate his average to .320. Both catchers are making an early argument to replace Chance Sisco in Baltimore.

Mason McCoy and Wilbis Santiago both went 2-4, and Tyler Nevin finished 1-5 with a run scored.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 6, Richmond (Giants) Flying Squirrels 1

A night after Kyle Bradish stole the show in Bowie, Kevin Smith followed with an equally impressive performance. Smith struck out seven consecutive batters between the first and third innings. His final line read 4.2 innings, 4 hits, 8 K, 2 BB 0 R. Check out the seven K’s below.

Adley Rutschman finished 2-5 with two runs scored. JC Escarra drove in two during a 2-4 effort, and Cadyn Grenier added two hits from the nine-hole. Patrick Dorrian finished 0-3 but did walk twice, while Doran Turchin finished 1-3 with a walk and an RBI. Terrin Vavra went 0-5.

High-A: Wilmington (Nationals) Blue Rocks 7, Aberdeen IronBirds 0

Aberdeen tallied seven hits but could not find their way onto the scoreboard. Blaine Knight started and allowed four runs on six hits over four innings. Knight struck out four and did not walk a batter, but did allow a two-run home run in the fourth.

Seven different IronBirds recorded a hit, but no player had a multi-hit game. The minors are wonky sometimes.

Low-A: Carolina (Brewers) Mudcats 3, Delmarva Shorebirds 2 F/10

Mike Baumann made another rehab start and did not allow a hit or run over three innings. Baumann struck out four and did not walk a batter. It’s difficult to get too excited about a guy shutting down a Low-A lineup, but it’s encouraging that Baumann appears healthy and in control.

Neither team scored through the first five innings. Carolina struck first in the sixth, but Delmarva evened the score with a Cristopher Cespedes homer in the seventh. Cespedes and Jordan Westburg were the only Shorebirds with multiple hits. Xavier Moore took the loss after allowing a pair of runs to score in the 10th. Gunnar Henderson picked up an RBI on a ground out in the tenth, but Jordan Cannon struck out swinging to end the game.

Complete boxscores for Thursday’s games can be found here.

Friday’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk: vs Jacksonville, 7:05. Starter: Thomas Eshelman (0-1, 11.81 ERA)
• Bowie: at Reading, 6:35. Starter: David Lebron (1-0, 5.40 ERA)
• Aberdeen: vs Wilmington, 7:05. Starter: TBD
• Delmarva: vs Carolina, 7:05. Starter: Zach Peek (1-0, 5.63 ERA)