Orioles minor league recap 7/3: Norfolk blasts 15 runs, including Mountcastle HR

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 15, Charlotte Knights 3

Ryan Watson, Noah Denoyer, Darwinzon Hernández and Morgan McSweeney combined for one run on ten hits and three walks. Together, they also struck out 13.

Runs rained down from the sky on Sunday. The Tides scored four in the third, one in the fourth, six in the seventh and three more in the eighth. It didn’t matter who Charlotte sent to the mound, the Tides were hitting them.

Out of the leading spot, #5 Orioles prospect Colton Cowser (back in action after missing Saturday—sorry! no callup yet) had two hits, a walk, and scored two. One of those runs scored came in the third, when Charlotte’s John Parke loaded the bases with two walks and a HBP, and Joey Ortiz and César Prieto cleaned house, Ortiz with a ground rule double and Prieto with a two-run single.

The Tides blasted the game open by stringing together a ridiculous seven hits and a walk in the sixth inning. That included a Heston Kjerstad blow off the wall in left-center that came just a couple feet short of being an oppo-field grand slam. Kjerstad (#10) would settle for a two-run double.

César Prieto went 4-for-5, drove in four, and is already averaging .333 in his short time at Triple-A. My sources are telling me this guy can hit. Connor Norby (#9) doubled and walked. Maverick Handley went 3-for-4 with a walk and scored three times. Daz Cameron and Lewin Díaz had two hits apiece. Joey Ortiz (#7) singled, doubled, and delivered this web gem:

A rehabbing Ryan Mountcastle capped off the theatrics with a beautiful three-run jack in the eighth.

Box Score

Double-A: Somerset Patriots (NYY) 6, Bowie Baysox 4 F/11

Coby Mayo (#8) keeps single-handedly powering the Baysox offense. On Sunday, he doubled, singled and hit his 17th home run of the year. He’s OPSing 1.054 and practically beating down the door to Triple-A.

Jud Fabian (#13) also homered, his 13th.

The game was 3-3 after nine innings and Tyler Burch couldn’t hold the line, surrendering two runs in the eleventh. Prior to that, Alex Pham threw five innings, a two-run home run his only real mistake. Jean Pinto followed Pham with one run allowed over three innings, and Conner Loeprich threw two scoreless.

Box Score

High-A: Winston-Salem Dash (CWS) 5, Aberdeen IronBirds 3 F/10

The IronBirds had just five hits in the game. Dylan Beavers homered to put Aberdeen on the board first. Max Wagner (#16) had two singles and drove in two runs. Frederick Bencosme (#20) singled and walked. Jacob Teter showed a nice eye, walking three times. Jackson Holliday (#3) went 0-for-3 but walked.

Daniel Lloyd, a 14th-round pickup in 2021, pitched a squeaky clean four shutout innings, striking out six and allowing three hits and two walks. Lloyd is 3-3 with a 3.88 ERA in 55.2 innings. Those who followed him—Dylan Heid, Dan Hammer, and Reese Sharp, were not as, uh, sharp, giving up one, two and two runs (one earned) respectively. With a two-run homer allowed, Hammer (4.50 ERA) got stuck with the blown save.

Box Score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 4, Lynchburg Hillcats (CLE) 1

There was no offense in this one until the eighth inning, when Delmarva rallied against Lynchburg’s Jack Jasiak. Randy Florentino kicked off the rally with a walk, Adam Crampton and Carter Young followed with singles, and everybody came home courtesy of Samuel Basallo, who drove in all his team’s runs with his fourteenth home run of the year.

Kyle Brnovich had a fine rehab outing, throwing three scoreless innings with three hits and a walk allowed. Alfred Vega earned the win with 5.1 innings where he allowed a single run on eight hits. Hugo Beltran earned the save by getting the final two outs.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• Norfolk vs Charlotte, 5:35. Starter: Grayson Rodriguez (3-0, 2.73 ERA)
• Bowie vs Somerset, 5:05. Starter: TBD
• Delmarva @ Lynchburg, 5:05. Starter: Wyatt Cheney (2-6, 5.63 ERA)