Orioles minor league recap 4/21: Zimmermann goes six strong, Holliday shows patience

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 9, Rochester Red Wings (Nationals) 1

Bruce Zimmermann has a decent chance of pitching for the Orioles at some point this season. Nights like tonight will certainly help his cause.

Zimmermann limited Rochester to one run over six innings. He struck out six, walked two, and did not allow a home run. The Red Wings struck first with an RBI single in the third, but Norfolk scored the final nine runs to provide Zimmermann an easy victory.

Kyle Stowers led the way with a 2-for-4 effort that included an RBI single and a two-run home run. Stowers scored on a three-run blast by Josh Lester in the third inning. Joey Ortiz finished 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, and Connor Norby drove in two during a 2-for-5 effort. Daz Cameron joined the trio in the multi-hit club during the victory.

Double-A: Altoona Curve (Pirates) 2, Bowie Baysox 1

Bowie did not allow an earned run in the game but still managed to fall 2-1. Bowie reliever Connor Loeprich fielded a sacrifice bunt and fired it into foul territory during the sixth inning. The Curve scored on the error and tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly. Curve mascot “Al Tuna” came out to celebrate, and “everybody’s hometown team” had the last laugh in the low scoring affair.

Cesar Prieto singled home Heston Kjerstad in the fifth for Bowie’s only run. Prieto led the charge with three singles. Coby Mayo ripped a double, and Kjerstad finished 2-for-5 from the leadoff spot.

Justin Armbruester flourished once again with 5.1 scoreless innings. Armbruester limited Altoona to three hits and struck out four.

High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 6, Aberdeen IronBirds 3

Jersey Shore hung a four-spot on Aberdeen starter Jake Lyons in the second inning. Lyons failed to complete the inning, and Aberdeen never recovered.

Max Wagner went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, but no other IronBird recorded a multi-hit evening. Isaac De Leon and Luis Valdez both doubled, and Dylan Beavers finished 1-for-3 with a walk. Jud Fabian drove in a run with a single in the first, but Frederick Bencosme failed to record a hit from the leadoff spot.

Low-A: Fredericksburg Nationals 12, Delmarva Shorebirds 6

Delmarva kept Fredericksburg off the board in the first but allowed at least one run in the final seven innings. Starter Jared Beck was tagged for six runs in 3.2 innings pitched.

The Shorebirds recorded six runs on only six hits. Jackson Holliday walked three times during a 1-for-2 effort, and Anderson De Los Santos worked a pair of walks on a hitless night. Samuel Basallo finished 1-for-5, and Douglas Hodo III recorded the only extra-base hit with a leadoff double in the first.

Box scores for Thursday’s games can be found here

Friday’s Schedule

• Norfolk: vs Rochester, 6:35. SP: DL Hall (0-1, 4.76 ERA)
• Bowie: at Altoona, 6:00. SP: Cade Povich (1-0, 2.25 ERA)
• Aberdeen: vs Jersey Shore, 7:05, SP: Trace Bright (0-0, 1.13 ERA)
• Delmarva: at Fredericksburg, 7:05., SP: Juan De Los Santos (0-2, 15.63 ERA)