Orioles minor league recap 8/3: DL Hall rocked once again in Norfolk loss

Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 8, Norfolk Tides 3

Any big DL Hall (Orioles #4 prospect, MLB Top 100 #64) fans in Birdland may want to skip down to the Double-A recap. The lefty continued his recent run of rough starts since the All-Star break—allowing six runs (five earned) over four innings, walking five and striking out four. The long ball was an issue again for the normally dominant Hall, allowing three home runs against Nashville. In Hall’s last three starts, he’s only managed to throw 5.2 innings, allowing 12 earned runs and giving up five home runs. Hopefully, this stretch is just a short-lived hiccup for the strikeout artist.

Offensively, GUNNAR HENDERSON (Orioles #2, MLB #4) continued to shine in the leadoff spot for the Tides. The star shortstop went 2-5 with a double and two runs scored—and was the only member of the Tides to register multiple hits. Henderson’s .942 OPS at Norfolk this season would rank fourth in all of the International League, while his Slugging% of .541 would rank sixth (if only those pesky at-bat minimums weren’t getting in GUNNAR’s way).

Box Score

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 9, Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 4

The Baysox offense put together a complete offensive performance in their win over the Senators on Tuesday night. Every hitter one through eight registered a hit, and Bowie exploded in the late innings to break open a 4-4 tie. After Harrisburg tied the game on a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, a single from Hudson Haskin ( #16) led to Cesar Prieto (#11) scoring after a throwing error, breaking the tie. Fellow outfielder John Rhodes (#22) then tripled to drive in Haskin, before catcher Maverick Handley capped the eighth-inning rally with an RBI single. The Baysox added some insurance in the ninth, with an RBI double from Prieto followed by a triple from Haskin.

Haskin led the Baysox with three hits, finishing 3-4 with the triple and two RBIs. Infielders Connor Norby and Joseph Ortiz each had two hits, including a home run, with Norby blasting a solo shot to lead off the game and Oritz launching a two-run homer in the third. Colton Cowser (#3) had a quieter night amongst all the offense, going 1-5 with three strikeouts.

Though he didn’t get the win, Ryan Watson put forth a strong five innings as Bowie’s starter. Watson scattered six Senators hits to hold Harrisburg to two runs while striking out four. The start extended a streak of strong starts from the 24-year-old righty, as he’s gone 5+ innings, allowing two runs or less in five of his last six starts.

Box Score

High-A: Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals) 9. Aberdeen IronBirds 8 (13 innings)

In a game that would seemingly never end, the Blue Rocks pushed across the winning Manfred Man with a lead-off single in the bottom of the 13th to walk things off. The IronBirds fought back valiantly to even force extra innings, as a four-run eighth turned a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 Aberdeen lead. The IronBirds bullpen couldn’t slam the door, though, as runs in the bottoms of the eighth and ninth saw Wilmington force extras. The free baseball became a see-saw affair, as Aberdeen scored two runs in the 10th, only for the Blue Rocks to tie at seven. Then a run in the top of the 12th was answered yet again in the bottom of the inning. The IronBirds couldn’t continue the back-and-forth nature of the game in the top of the 13th, setting up Wilmington to steal the win.

Despite scoring eight runs, Aberdeen registered only one extra-base hit with Darell Hernaiz (#29) doubling to lead off the eighth inning. Top prospects Coby Mayo (#6) and Heston Kjerstad (#9) were relatively quiet—Kjerstad going 1-6 with two RBIs and a run scored and Mayo going 0-3 before being pinch hit for in the eighth. Starting pitcher Jake Lyons had his most effective outing of the season, striking out four over four innings and only allowing one hit.

Box Score

Low-A: Augusta GreenJackets (Braves) 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 2

The Shorebirds fell behind early Tuesday night and never could get enough offense going to mount a comeback against Augusta. The GreenJackets scored in each of the first five innings to put the game out of reach early on. Control was a big problem for Delmarva pitchers Tuesday. The pitching staff combined to walk 11 GreenJackets, including six free passes issued by starter Connor Grady. The defense also struggled to back up their pitchers, committing four errors which led to three of the seven runs being unearned.

Second baseman Noelberth Romero and outfielder Mishael Deson were the only offensive bright spots for Delmarva. Each went 2-4 with a single and a solo home run. Romero opened the Shorebirds account with his blast to left center, tying the game at one in the first. Deson’s homer also went out to left center, but only made a dent in what was a 6-1 GreenJackets lead at the time.

Box Score

Wednesday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk Tides vs. Nashville Sounds, 6:35 pm. Starter: Matt Harvey
• Bowie Baysox at Harrisburg Senators, 6:30 pm. Starter: Drew Rom
• Aberdeen IronBirds at Wilmington Blue Rocks, 6:35 pm. Starter: TBD
• Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Augusta GreenJackets, 7:05 pm. Starter: Luis Vargas