Orioles minor league recap 5/23: Gunnar Henderson continues to destroy Low-A pitching

Triple A: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 8, Norfolk Tides 1

Lefty Josh Rogers, one-third of the prospects dealt to Baltimore for Zack Britton, tossed three good innings but allowed a three-run homer in the fourth and a two-run dinger in the sixth. It’s been a difficult rehab so far for Rogers, who’s 0-3 with a 7.79 ERA in 2021.

Not much offense to see here, folks. Norfolk scored its lone run when Ramón Urías tripled and scored on a wild pitch. Zach Jarrett and Ryan McKenna contributed two singles and a single, respectively.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 4, Richmond Flying Squirrels 2

This one was a pitcher’s duel for eight innings before each side put up two runs in the ninth. Bowie scored two runs in the second inning when Doran Turchin, hitting in the six-spot, doubled in CF Jaylen Ferguson, then scored on a grounder by catcher Chris Hudgins. Hudgins then put the game away in the ninth inning with a two-run blast, his third RBI of the game. Adley Rutschman reached base once with a walk.

It was a solid day on the mound for the Baysox. David Lebron tossed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts and just four hits and a walk. Cody Sedlock looked a lot better this time around in relief, with three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 5, Wilmington Blue Rocks 4

The IronBirds won a thriller with a bases-loaded balk in the bottom of the eighth. After falling into a 3-2 hole, the IronBirds chipped away at the Blue Rocks’ lead and Morgan McSweeney held on in the ninth to get the win. IronBirds starter, No. 27 prospect Garrett Stallings, allowed three runs over five innings on a pair of home runs.

Kyle Stowers really brought the lumber on a day the IronBirds put up 11 hits. The Orioles No. 23 prospect reached based four times and was a part of all of the IronBirds’ rallies on Saturday: he led off the second and fourth innings with a hit and scored, and hit an RBI triple in the fifth. Andrew Daschbach and Toby Welk each went 2-for-4, DH Andrew Martinez and catcher Maverick Handley contributed an RBI apiece, and Shayne Fontana, definitely my favorite-named minor leaguer, singled and walked.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 12, Carolina Mudcats 8

It was a monster offensive day for Delmarva, who scored 12 runs in the first three innings and had 14 hits and 7 walks on the day. Shorebirds starter Jake Lyons and reliever Griffin McLarty gave the Mudcats back four runs apiece, but it wouldn’t matter. All but one Shorebird had a hit, and the one who didn’t—2020 3^rd-round pick Anthony Servideo—walked three times, so I’d say he’s OK.

Speaking of a monster day at the plate, Gunnar Henderson continues his assault on Low-A pitching, going 3-for-4 on Saturday with five RBIs, including a bases-clearing double in the second inning. His average/OPS are up to .339/1.078. Is that good? First baseman J.D. Mundy is also swinging a hot bat, with three hits and a walk to bring up his average and OPS to .333/1.057. Right fielder Chris Cespedes went 2-for-5 with two runs driven in and 2020 Round 2 draft pick Hudson Haskin had two hits to bring his average up to .328.

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

Sunday’s scheduled games

• Norfolk vs. Jacksonville, 1:05 PM. Starter: Spenser Watkins (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
• Bowie at Richmond, 1:05 PM. Starter: DL Hall (1-0, 3.75 ERA)
• Aberdeen vs. Wilmington, 2:05 PM. Starter: TBD
• Delmarva vs. Carolina, 2:05 PM. Starter: Brandon Young (0-0, 1.35 ERA)