Orioles minor league recap 5/10: Westburg home run sparks seven-run first in Norfolk win

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 10, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) 2

The Tides continued to play the best baseball in the International League with a dominant win over Jacksonville. This game was largely over before it really started, as Norfolk hung seven runs on the Jumbo Shrimp in the top of the first. Colton Cowser—fresh off calls for him to make the leap to Baltimore—led off the game with a double to left field. Connor Norby singled to move Cowser to third, before Josh Lester brought the outfielder home on a ground ball to second. Then Jordan Westburg step to the plate and the fireworks really started. On a 1-2 pitch, Westburg launched his ninth home run of the season to left, opening up a 4-0 Norfolk lead.

Joey Ortiz would continue the rally with another double before coming around to score on a Daz Cameron double. Jacksonville starter Jeff Lindgren later walked in a run with the bases loaded before leaving the game. Lindgren exited with recording a single out against the Tides. Batting for the second time in the inning, Cowser hit a sac fly to score Cameron and give Norfolk a 7-0 lead.

After giving up two runs in the bottom of the second, the Tides offense provided another mini-outburst in the top of the third. Shayne Fontana and Cowser both walked, and then Lester laced a triple to center field to score them both. Westburg would then drive in Lester after a grounder to third turned into a fielding error, and the Tides had their 10th run of the game.

No more runs crossed the plate for either team after the third, as the Norfolk bullpen threw six scoreless innings to close out the game. Morgan McSweeney picked up the win after pitching two innings with three strikeouts while only allowing one hit. The Tides’ lineup was still the star of the game, as all hitters except Fontana recorded a hit, while Cowser, Norby and Lewin Díaz each had mulit-hit days.

Box Score

Double-A: Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 5, Bowie Baysox 1

Despite recording nine hits, the Baysox offense never put it all together in its loss in Harrisburg. Bowie’s starter Houston Roth also didn’t start on the best foot, as he allowed a leadoff walk and then gave up a two-run homer to Harrisburg second baseman J.T. Arruda. Roth would settle in, as he didn’t allow another hit in the rest of the four innings he pitched, but those two runs were not a hole that Bowie could hit its way out of.

César Prieto led off the game with a double, but Heston Kjerstad erased him when he lined into a double play. The Baysox didn’t have another scoring opportunity until the fifth inning, when back-to-back singles from Gilbert Lara and Jacob Teter gave Bowie runners on first and third with one out. Randy Florentino drove in Lara with a ground out to third, cutting the Harrisburg lead to 2-1.

Bowie would waste an opportunity to tie the game in the sixth, as Coby Mayo was left stranded at third after a one-out triple. That wasted opportunity felt extra bad when, in the bottom of the sixth, Harrisburg loaded the bases and then scored three runs on a passed ball and a single to right.

Bowie had further scoring opportunities go by the wayside in the eighth and ninth. In the eighth, Prieto and Kjerstad both singled and Mayo walked to load the bases. The Baysox couldn’t capitalize, as Zach Watson popped up to first and Billy Cook struck out to end the inning. In the final inning, Lara and Teter again had back-to-back singles, giving Bowie two on and one out. Florentino grounded out to second before Prieto struck out to end the game. Despite the loss, Prieto starred for the Baysox as his 3-5 saw his season average rise to .375.

Box Score

High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 11, Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 0

The IronBirds offense propelled them to a blowout victory, as they scored in six out of eight innings in a win over the Renegades. That scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, when a Dylan Beavers double drove home Jackson Holliday. Aberdeen then showed off its power in the third inning, as TT Bowens hit a two-run homer and Jud Fabian followed with a solo shot two batters later.

The IronBirds reverted to some small ball in the middle innings as they continued to grow their lead. In the fourth, Isaac de Leon reached on a fielder’s choice, moved up to second after a pick off attempt gone awry and then came around to score on a Max Wagner single. In the fifth, Bowens and Beavers reached on a hit by pitch and single, then later scored on a two-out double from Silas Ardoin. Bowens drove home another run in the sixth, doubling to score Wagner after he had singled and moved to second on a wild pitch.

Holliday then showed off some power of his own in the eighth inning, blasting his first Aberdeen home run to center field. Fabian would then cap off the scoring, singling to bring home Beavers after he doubled.

Not to be outdone by the offensive fireworks, the Aberdeen pitching staff also put together one of its best performances of the season. Starter Jean Pinto threw 4.1 no-hit innings while striking out seven Renegades. The 22-year-old from Venezuela lowered his season ERA to 2.05 and now has 41 Ks in only 26.1 innings of work. The bullpen also shone Tuesday night, only allowing two hits over 4.2 innings while striking out eight.

Box Score

Low-A: Down East Wood Ducks (Rangers) 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 2 (F/6)

A rain storm ending the game early was somewhat of a mercy for the Shorebirds in their loss to the Wood Ducks. Delmarva got out to an early start, as Anderson De Los Santos led off the top of the second by singling and stealing second. A wild pitch allowed De Los Santos to move to third, and Noelberth Romero then lifted a sac fly into center to give Delmarva a 1-0 lead.

That lead was short lived, however, as Down East third baseman Gleider Figueroa hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to give the Wood Ducks a 2-1 lead. Down East would add another run in the fourth on a RBI double, and headed into the 6th inning with a 3-1 lead. Delmarva looked to get a rally going in the top of the sixth, as Samuel Basallo led of the inning with a single and De Los Santos followed with a walk. Two batters later, Elio Prado singled to score Basallo. However, the Shorebirds couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity as Romero and Douglas Hodo III each struck for the final two outs of the inning.

Then, before the sky’s floodgates opened, the floodgates of the Down East offense inundated the Shorebirds pitching staff in the bottom of the sixth. After giving up a walk and single to start the inning, reliever Alfred Vega got two quick outs and looked to mitigate the damage. It was not to be, though, as a Down East single scored one run before back-to-back homers ballooned the Wood Duck lead from 4-2 to 8-2. Vega would complete the inning before the game was called due to the inclement weather.

Box Score

Wednesday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk Tides at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 12:05pm ET. DL Hall vs. TBD
• Bowie Baysox at Harrisburg Senators, 6:05pm ET. Justin Armbruester vs. Mitchell Parker
• Aberdeen IronBirds vs. Hudson Valley Renegades, 7:05pm ET. TBD vs. Tyrone Yule
• Delmarva Shorebirds at Down East Wood Ducks, 11:00am ET. Jared Beck vs. TBD