Columbus (Indians) 7, Norfolk Tides 4
Tides starter Joe Gunkel decided to make like Chris Tillman, and in Saturday’s case that was not a good thing as he surrendered six runs in five innings of work. The Tides offense was not up to the task of rallying because the Tides offense, unlike the Orioles, isn’t all that good.
One bright spot was first baseman Trey Mancini, who went 3-4 in the game including a solo home run in the seventh inning. That’s his eighth home run since joining the Tides and 15th between Norfolk and Bowie this year.
Bowie Baysox 4, Altoona (Pirates) 1
Hey, a winner! There were two rehabbing big leaguers on the Baysox in this game. Caleb Joseph hit a home run as he went 1-4. Vance Worley gave up five hits in 1.2 innings of work, with one run crossing the plate. There’s always next time.
Also good for the Baysox was Jason Garcia, last year’s Rule 5 pick, who held the Curve to three hits and two walks in five innings of work. They did not score on his watch. It was a tough start to the season for Garica but he’s lowered his ERA by nearly two runs in the last month. Of course, it’s still 4.50, but hey, gotta get there to get lower than that.
Frederick Keys 5, Salem (Red Sox) 1 (game 1)
It took three days to actually finish this game as it ended up being suspended in progress twice. The Keys at last came out on top with Tanner Scott sealing the deal by holding the Red Sox off the board in the game’s final 2.1 innings. Scott didn’t walk anybody, a good outing for him by default.
Recently-promoted D.J. Stewart and Garrett Cleavinger both made their Frederick debuts in the game. Stewart went 1-5 and drove in a run. Cleavinger pitched two innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk.
Salem (Red Sox) 2, Frederick Keys 1 (game 2 - 7 innings)
Each of the teams had only five hits in the game, but the Red Sox ended up with more opportunities since they drew four walks to Frederick’s one.
Stewart was 1-3 with a double in this second game. Jomar Reyes also was 1-3 with a double.
Kannapolis (White Sox) 2, Delmarva Shorebirds 1
With Stewart getting promoted to Frederick, the most interesting hitter left with Delmarva is Ryan Mountcastle and he was 0-4 in the game. Oh well. Cedric Mullins turned in a 3-5 performance and stole his 17th base, but nobody else got much of anything going.
Delmarva starter Brian Gonzalez wasn’t bad at all despite taking the loss. He held the Intimidators to two runs on five hits and a walk in six innings of work. Gonzalez was able to pick up twelve ground ball outs, so maybe it’s not bad that he only got one strikeout.
Connecticut (Tigers) 5, Aberdeen IronBirds 2
It may be that the most interesting thing about this game is that Connecticut has a player named Junnell Ledezma while Aberdeen has Ronarsy Ledesma. The Aberdeen Ledesma triumphed here, going 2-4 and drawing a walk, while Connecticut’s Ledezma went 0-3.
However, the Tigers were the winners in the game, probably because the IronBirds went 0-10 with RISP in the game. Yeah, that’s not how you win, guys.
This year’s tenth round pick, Cody Dube, made his professional debut, tossing just a couple of innings to get his feet wet. Dube gave up two hits and struck out two batters. The Tigers stayed off the board while he was in the game.
GCL Orioles 5, GCL Rays 2 (7 innings)
I don’t usually mention Gulf Coast League games in this space because it’s so far away from the big leagues, but this game is noteworthy as it saw a little rehab start by Hunter Harvey, working his way back into shape. Harvey struck out five batters in two innings, which is what you’re supposed to do when you’re a 2013 first round pick facing GCL competition. Still, it’s better than him still being hurt.
You may remember from last year the Orioles made a small bit of noise for signing a player from MLB’s development academy in China, Gui Yuan “Itchy” Xu. Xu made his US debut as a pinch hitter late in this game and picked up a hit. Best of luck to him in having many more in the future.
For complete box scores from Saturday’s games, including the other game of a GCL Orioles doubleheader and both of the O’s Dominican Summer League teams, check out here.
Today’s Scheduled Games
- Norfolk: at Columbus, 1:05. Starter: Andy Oliver
- Bowie: vs. Altoona, 2:05. (MD Pride Day) Starter: John Means
- Frederick: at Salem, 4:05. Starter: Franderlin Romero
- Delmarva: at Kannapolis, 5:05. Starter: Michael Costello
- Aberdeen: vs. Connecticut, 5:35. Starter: TBD