Orioles minor league recap 5/7: Rutschman and Henderson go deep

Triple-A: Jacksonville (Marlins) Jumbo Shrimp 7, Norfolk Tides 1

The Tides managed only three hits and failed to pick up their first win of the season. Starter Spenser Watkins worked four innings and allowed three runs. Two of those runs came via solo shots by Jacksonville and the third scored on a wild pitch. The Orioles signed Watkins as a minor league free agent back in February.

The Jumbo Shrimp extended their lead with a four-run fifth inning. Claudio Custodio replaced Watkins and allowed a single, walk, sacrifice fly and three run home run. A fielding error by Chris Shaw resulted in only one earned run for Custodio.

Rylan Bannon scored the Tides’ only run with a home run in the second inning. Richie Martin and Stevie Wilkerson added the only other hits.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 8, Altoona (Pirates) Curve 4

The story of the evening occurred in the first inning of this game. Top pick Adley Rutschman sent the first pitch he saw over the fence. Rutschman, batting from the left side, took the ball the other way and did not miss.

Rutschman wasn’t done either. He added a two-run double in the seventh inning. I’ll be in Altoona tonight and would absolutely love to see Rutschman smack one off the rollercoaster in right field.

Kevin Smith started for Bowie and delivered 4.2 scoreless innings. He limited the Curve to five hits, struck out five and walked one batter. Steven Klimek picked up the win after allowing just one hit in 2.1 innings and Tim Naughton pitched a scoreless ninth. Reed Hayes allowed all four Altoona runs in the eighth.

Patrick Dorrian and Malquin Canelo both went 2-4 with 2 RBIs.

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 5, Wilmington (Nationals) 3

Kyle Brnovich started and pitched five shutout innings for Aberdeen. He allowed just one hit, struck out six and did not walk a batter. The Orioles acquired Brnovich and three other right handers from the Angels in exchange for Dylan Bundy.

Brnovich picked up the win after Andrew Martinez broke a scoreless tie with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Andrew Daschbach provided insurance with a two run home run in the eighth inning. Wilmington scored three runs off Jonathan Pendergast in the eighth, but Felix Bautista picked up the save. Morgan McSweeney earned a hold with two scoreless innings.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 8, Salem Red Sox 4

Not to be outdone, Gunnar Henderson also launched the first pitch he saw into the seats. The blast gave Delmarva and early lead and also marked Henderson’s second homer of the young season. Henderson finished 2-4 with two runs scored.

Catcher Jordan Cannon put the game out of reach with a three-run home run in the eighth inning. Cannon finished 2-4, while Hudson Haskin and J.D. Mundy added the Shorebirds other hits.

Jake Prizina notched the win with 2.1 scoreless innings. Brandon Young started the game and allowed one run on just one hit.

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

Friday’s scheduled games

• Norfolk: at Jacksonville, 7:05 PM. Starter: Keegan Akin
• Bowie: at Altoona, 6:00 PM. Starter: Ofelky Peralta
• Aberdeen: at Wilmington, 7:05 PM. Starter: Drew Rom
• Delmarva: vs. Salem, 7:05 PM. Starter: Shane Davis