Orioles minor league recap 9/16: Mayo mashes but Norfolk’s pitchers get bashed

Triple-A: Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) 13, Norfolk Tides 4

To sum up how poorly this game went for the Norfolk pitching staff, infielder Josh Lester had to take the mound to get the final out. By doing so, he was one of just two Tides pitchers — out of seven — not to give up a run. The other was Kyle Dowdy, who had an excellent long relief effort with three scoreless innings and five strikeouts. But two erstwhile Orioles had disastrous outings, with Tyler Wells giving up three runs, three hits, and a walk in just 0.2 innings, and Joey Krehbiel — in his first outing back at Norfolk since the O’s optioned him on Tuesday— getting bludgeoned for six runs while recording just two outs. If you were hoping for either Wells or Krehbiel to provide relief help for the Birds down the stretch, it may be best to look elsewhere.

The Tides offense collected 10 hits, but most came after the game was already out of hand. Cleanup man Coby Mayo was the standout, going 3-for-5 with his 11th home run at Triple-A and 28th overall. I can’t wait to see this kid with the Orioles next year. Heck, call him up right now. Lord knows the O’s offense could use a jolt. Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday had one hit apiece, and Holliday also deftly used the ABS challenge system to turn a strikeout into a walk. Connor Norby took an 0-for-5.

Former O’s prospect César Prieto, sent to St. Louis in the Jack Flaherty deal, was 1-for-6 with an error on this night and is 1-for-14 in the series. He had an .836 OPS for Norfolk before the trade but just a .666 OPS for Memphis since.

Box score

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 5, Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 4

The Baysox snapped a four-all tie in the eighth on a Silas Ardoin RBI single, giving them a close win over Harrisburg. The Baysox took advantage of their scoring opportunities, going 5-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Jud Fabian sparked the offense from the leadoff spot with a pair of hits, three RBIs, and a stolen base. Max Wagner contributed an RBI single and a steal of his own. Samuel Basallo was 1-for-4.

Starter Carlos Tavera had a weird outing. He was chased in the second inning after giving up six hits and four runs, but none of them were earned. An error by shortstop Anthony Servideo allowed the leadoff man to reach, and the Senators eventually scored four runs with two outs. The Bowie bullpen, though, shut the door for the rest of the game, with Kade Strowd (1.1 innings), Ryan Long (4.0 innings), and Ryan Hennen (2.0 innings) holding Harrisburg scoreless. That was no easy feat against a stacked lineup that featured five of the Nationals’ eight best prospects, including their top three, Dylan Crews, James Wood, and Brady House.

Box score

Saturday’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk: vs. Memphis, 6:35 PM. Starter: Cade Povich (2-3, 6.03)
• Bowie: at Harrisburg, 1:00 PM. Starter: Brandon Young (0-2, 4.22)