Orioles minor league recap 7/31: Kyle Stowers powers Bowie to a win

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 8, Durham Bulls (Rays) 2

The Tides came to bat in the bottom of the first with a two-run deficit, but that was erased quickly. They put a crooked six spot on the board, courtesy of a two-run single by Kelvin Gutierrez, a bases-loaded walk to Rylan Bannon, and a three-run double by J.C. Escarra. Jahmai Jones added an inside-the-park two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth on a fly ball to center field.

Norfolk starter Mike Baumann gave up two runs in the first — on an RBI double and an RBI single — but that was the only damage he allowed all night. The game was called early due to rain, and Baumann came away with the win in his first Triple-A start. His final pitching line was five innings, four hits, two runs, zero walks, and four strikeouts.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) 3

Bowie edged out the Flying Squirrels by a tight two-run margin last night, with Felix Bautista earning his second save of the year by striking out the side in the ninth. Grayson Rodriguez started the game but only lasted two innings. He gave up one run, one hit, and three walks while striking out three. Steven Klimek got the win for Bowie after pitching two scoreless innings in relief.

The Tides were down by three runs before they got the bats going. Malquin Canelo hit a two-run home run to get the Baysox on the board in the sixth, and in the following inning, Kyle Stowers cranked a three-run home run to give Bowie the lead.

Stowers finished the game 1-for-4 with a walk and three RBI. He’s hitting .303 with a .992 OPS. Adley Rutschman went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, bringing his batting average to .277. Center fielder Zach Watson went 3-for-4 to raise his batting average to .286.

High-A: Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays) 10, Aberdeen IronBirds 9

The Ironbirds’ offense tallied 12 hits and nine runs, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Hot Rods. Aberdeen starter Garrett Stallings had a night to forget, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks in four innings. But reliever Morgan McSweeney took the loss after allowing four unearned runs in the top of the 10th inning. The Ironbirds defense had an astounding five errors in the game, including three fielding errors, a throwing error, and a missed catch.

Jordan Westburg, playing shortstop and batting leadoff, went 2-for-5 with a run, walk, and a three-run home run. Right fielder Shayne Fontana had a three-run homer of his own. Center fielder Hudson Haskin went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI, and DH J.D. Mundy was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 7, Fredericksburg Nationals 3

Delmarva scored first on Friday night — in the second inning — and maintained a lead the entire game. The only runs surrendered to Fredericksburg came in the bottom of the ninth, and by then it was too little too late. Houston Roth had an excellent start for the Shorebirds, pitching five scoreless innings with two hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. He’s got a 3.25 ERA after this outing. Jake Zebron earned his first save of the season after pitching 0.2 innings in relief.

The Shorebirds scored seven runs on 10 hits and six walks. Even more impressive, they did it without a single home run. Third baseman Willy Yahn went 2-for-3 with four RBI, second baseman Jean Carmona went 3-for-4, and catcher Ryne Ogren went 1-for-2 with two RBI.

Complete box scores from all of Friday’s games can be found here.

Saturday’s scheduled games

• Norfolk vs. Durham, 7:05 PM. Starter: Ofelky Peralta (Season debut at Norfolk)
• Bowie at Richmond, 6:05 PM. Starter: Drew Rom (Season debut at Bowie)
• Aberdeen vs. Bowling Green, 6:05 PM. Starter: Connor Gillispie (4-7, 5.88 ERA)
• Delmarva at Fredericksburg, 6:05 PM. Starter: Griffin McLarty (1-6, 5.21 ERA)