Orioles minor league recap 9/1: The post-Gunnar era

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 4, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies) 1

The post-GUNNAR era began at Harbor Park. Fortunately for the Tides, they still have Jordan Westburg! The second baseman hit his 13th home run of the season, walked three times, and scored thrice as well. He probably won’t be getting a big league call this year, but not without a fight. Joey Ortiz added two singles, and Jacob Nottingham and Richie Martin both doubled.

Mike Baumann could see himself get a September call if the Orioles value his length out of the bullpen. The righty tossed six innings without allowing an earned run, striking out 13 (!) in the process. The bullpen was terrific behind him as Yennier Cano, Louis Head, and Cole Uvila combined for three shutout frames and five strikeouts.

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 15, Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 5

Cade Povich put forth his best effort at Double-A so far. Over six innings the former Twins prospect allowed just one run on three hits, a walk, and six strikeouts. His relievers weren’t as effective. Tyler Burch served up a solo homer in his inning of work, and then Griffin McLarty allowed three runs on three hits and two walks across a pair of frames.

The Bowie offense beat up on the Erie pitching staff, scoring 15 runs on 20 hits. Cody Roberts led the way with four hits, including a double. Toby Welk, Coby Mayo, and Cesar Prieto each had three hits. Welk had the biggest day of anyone, smacking two doubles and a home run. Hudson Haskin added a three-run dong. Darell Hernaiz contributed two hits and a stolen base.

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 8, Hickory Crawdads (Rangers) 1, Aberdeen IronBirds 0 - Game 1

There’s not much to say when an offense gets just one hit. A single from TT Bowens was their long base knock. Donta’ Williams walked twice, and Heston Kjerstad worked another base on balls. That was the extent of the base runners. Aberdeen actually had four chances with runners in scoring position, all in the fourth inning. Bowens singled to load the bases, but then a pair of strikeouts and a fly out ended the threat.

The positive is that the IronBirds pitchers were great. Jean Pinto allowed just one run over five innings, and that one run was a solo homer. The righty was in control all game. Alex Pham followed and struck out three over his two innings.

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 8, Hickory Crawdads (Rangers) 1 - Game 2

Aberdeen’s offense found itself in Game 2. Billy Cook jump started the lineup with a double and a triple, scoring twice. Kjerstad also had two hits, including his second triple of the year. Cook, Trendon Craig, Connor Pavolony, and Chris Givin swiped a base each. Jud Fabian was 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. The outfielder is still in pursuit of his first Double-A hit.

Antonio Velez started on the bump and went four innings. The lefty allowed four runs but only one was earned thanks to a pair of Luis Valdez errors. Connor Gillispie nabbed the win for his three innings of work in which he allowed one run and struck out three.

Low-A: Fredericksburg Nationals 12, Delmarva Shorebirds 8

This is the Delmarva recap, so you can be pretty sure that the pitching portion is rough. That was true again on Wednesday. They needed five pitchers to get through eight innings. The standout of the bunch was starter Juan Nunez. The 21-year-old tossed three scoreless innings, using two strikeouts to dance around two hits and two walks. His season ERA is down to 1.69 over 10.2 innings at the level.

There was some good stuff in the lineup, though. Dylan Beavers went 3-for-5 with two RBI, a double, and a stolen base. Creed Willems added a pair of hits, including a double. Jackson Holliday, starting at second base, had a two-hit day, although he also struck out twice, made an error, and was thrown out trying to steal. Reed Trimble notched a pair of hits and a stolen base. And finally Maxwell Costes, a Baltimore native and University of Maryland alum, made his Delmarva debut. He went 0-for-1 with three walks.

Box scores for Wednesday’s games can be found here.

Thursday’s Scheduled Games

• Triple-A Norfolk: vs Lehigh Valley, 12:05. Starting pitcher: Beau Sulser (2-4, 4.14 ERA)
• Double-A Bowie: at Erie, 6:05. Starting pitcher: TBD
• High-A Aberdeen: vs Hickory, 7:05. Starting pitcher: Grayson Rodriguez (Rehab)
• Low A Delmarva: at Fredericksburg, 7:05. Starting pitcher: TBD