Orioles minor league recap 7/22: Rutschman homers from each side of the plate in Bowie’s blowout win

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 2, Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) 1 - Game 1

Konner Wade’s steady contribution at Norfolk continued with a six-inning performance in which he allowed just one run on four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. The one run came on a solo home run to Cristian Pache, one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball. Dusten Knight was fortunate to record the save despite allowing three hits in his one inning out of the ‘pen.

The Tides were outhit 7-5 in Game 1, but it was enough to secure the win. J.C Escarra hit his third homer of the season, a solo shot in the the second inning. The other run was scored by Zach Jarrett in the sixth inning. He had opened the frame with a double, moved to third on a Jahmai Jones flyout, and then scored on a wild pitch with Brett Cumberland at the plate.

Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) 4, Norfolk Tides 3 - Game 2

Norfolk’s pitching was not as effective in Game 2. Kyle Bradish started on the mound and cruised through the opening two frames before hitting a snag in the third. All in, the righty served up three runs on four hits, a walk, and seven strikeouts over four innings. His Triple-A ERA is up to 5.75. Claudio Custodio worked two innings in relief, allowing a run on one hit, a home run.

The bats were more efficient in this game, scoring three times on five hits, four walks, and five strikeouts. Robert Neustrom had two RBI; a walk with the bases loaded in the first inning, and a one-run homer in the sixth. Stevie Wilkerson had the team’s other RBI, a sacrifice fly in the second inning that scored Escarra, who had doubled to open the frame.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 20, Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies) 7

That’s not a typo. Bowie scored 20 runs, and they did so with the help of 20 hits, six home runs, nine walks, and six strikeouts. Despite all of that offense, Adley Rutschman still managed to stick out. He went deep twice (one from each side of the plate), doubled, walked once with the bases loaded, and drove in seven runs. His Double-A OPS is .904. Other home runs came from Malquin Canelo, Patrick Dorrian, Chris Hudgins, and Toby Welk. Every Bowie starter had at least one hit and reached base at least twice in this game.

There was less good news on the bump. Tim Naughton got the win after throwing 1.2 scoreless innings following a short start from Gray Fenter. David Lebron earned a hold for his lengthy four-inning appearance out of the ‘pen in which he struck out five but also allowed three runs on five hits, two home runs, and two walks.

High-A: Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 8, Aberdeen IronBirds 0

Ignacio Feliz made his High-A debut after a dominant couple of months down in Delmarva. The former Rule 5 pick will hope for a better outcome next time. He allowed four runs on five hits, a walk, and three strikeouts over just three innings. Ryan Watson was no better in his debut at the level, giving up four runs himself over three innings. Logan Gillaspie and Nick Roth righted the ship a bit by combining for three scoreless innings.

As bad as the pitching was, the offense may have been worse. They struck out 14 times as a team and failed to even get a runner past second base all day. Adam Hall’s double was the team’s only extra-base hit. Jordan Westburg, Shayne Fontana, Dylan Harris, and Ramon Rodriguez each singled. Gunnar Henderson was 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts while Hudson Haskin took a tough 0-for-4 with two K’s.

Low-A: Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland) 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 4 - Game 1

A tough outing for Shane Davis put the Shorebirds on the backfoot early. The starter gave up two runs in each of the first three innings, creating a 6-0 hole that the home team would prove unable to climb out of. Davis’ final line was 3.2 innings, five hits, six runs, three walks, four strikeouts, three home runs. Not great. Luis Perez had a nice game in relief, tossing 3.1 hitless innings and striking out four.

Some nice things did come out of the Delmarva lineup, however. Lamar Sparks went 2-for-3 at the top of the order, including his third double. Craig Lewis hit his first home at Low-A in just his second game at the level. And Jean Carmona went deep for the third time.

Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland) 4, Delmarva Shorebirds 2 - Game 2

The Shorebirds were unable to avoid the double-header sweep at the hands of the Hillcats as the offense could muster just two runs on five hits, six walks, and eight strikeouts in Game 2. Cristopher Cespedes was the most productive, driving in two runs and going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Darell Hernaiz was 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored from the lead-off spot.

Adam Stauffer was solid enough as the starter, giving up just one earned run on two hits, two walks, and a strikeout. He made way for Kyle Martin, who managed to strikeout four batters over his 2.2 innings of work, but he also gave up two runs on two hits, including a home run. Ricky Ramirez came in out of the ‘pen and threw a scoreless seventh inning.

Complete box scores from Wednesday’s games can be found here. The Orioles’ Florida League Complex teams and their Dominican Summer League teams did not play any games.

Other notes:

• FanGraphs has updated their prospect rankings with 2021 draft picks. Colton Cowser comes in as the 88th-best prospect in all of baseball, and fourth among O’s youngsters.
• Reed Trimble, the O’s supplement second-round pick, has signed for a bonus worth $800K, more than $200K under the $1,025,100 slot value for where he was picked.
• Donta’ Williams, the O’s fourth-round pick, has signed for a bonus of $400K, nearly $150K under the slot value there as well.

Thursday’s scheduled games

• Norfolk: at Gwinnett, 7:05. Starter: Kevin Smith (1-2, 5.00 ERA)
• Bowie: vs Hartford, 6:35. Starter: Kyle Brnovich (0-0, 3.18 ERA)
• Aberdeen: vs Hudson Valley, 7:00. Starter: Conner Loeprich (0-1, 37.80 ERA)
• Delmarva: vs Lynchburg, 7:05. Starter: Adam Stauffer (3-2, 2.67 ERA)