Also in the minors, Andrew Kittredge managed a scoreless inning of rehab work.
Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (Brewers) 4, Norfolk Tides 1
With the way things are going in Baltimore, every Norfolk pitcher should treat each appearance like an audition. Norfolk starter Thaddeus Ward failed to make an impactful impression after allowing four runs over 4.2 innings.
Andrew Kittredge will certainly make his way to Baltimore soon. The rehabbing reliever allowed a pair of hits and a walk but managed to escape his one inning of work without allowing a run.
Unfortunately, the Tides took after the big league club. Norfolk finished 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and did not score a run in the first seven innings. TT Bowens provided the only offense with a solo homer in the eighth.
Dylan Beavers, Samuel Basallo and Vimael Machín all went hitless. The homer by Bowens marked Norfolk’s only extra-base hit of the night.
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 9, Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox) 4 — F/10
Both teams scored a run in the ninth before Chesapeake hung five runs on Portland in the 10th. Adam Retzbach drove in what could have been the winning run with a bunt single, but Peter Van Loon blew the save after allowing a pair of two-out hits.
The Baysox left little to chance in the top of the tenth. Creed Willems immediately drove in the ghost runner with a base hit, and Chesapeake worked three consecutive walks to plate the sixth run. Retzbach broke the game open with a two-run single, and Douglas Hodo III added an extra insurance run with a single to center.
Van Loon returned and recorded the win with a scoreless second inning of work. Starter Ryan Long allowed three runs in five innings, and Daniel Lloyd held Portland to only one hit over three scoreless frames.
High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 7, Aberdeen IronBirds 2
Aberdeen starter Riley Cooper allowed a three-run homer in the second inning and the IronBirds never recovered. The swing marked the only three earned runs allowed by Cooper over three innings. He struck out two and walked a pair.
The IronBirds managed their only two runs in the sixth inning. Jake Cunningham drove in Aron Estrada and Griff O’Ferrall with a base hit to right field. Cunningham, O’Ferrall and Vance Honeycutt recorded Aberdeen’s only three hits on the evening. Austin Overn finished 0-for-2 with two walks.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 2, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs) 1 — F/12
Delmarva starter Jack Crowder made quite the impression in his professional debut. The ninth-round pick from last year limited Myrtle Beach to only three hits over five scoreless innings. The 22-year-old righty struck out five and walked two.
Both teams struggled to gain any momentum on offense. Neither team scored after nine innings, and both clubs failed to plate the extra-runner in the 10th.
Braylin Tavera scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch in the top of the 11th, but Bryan Bautista surrendered the tying run in the bottom half. Fortunately, Delmarva kept its foot on the gas in the top of the 12th. Tavera drove in the go-ahead run with a double, and Bautista closed things out in his second inning of work.
Friday’s Schedule
Norfolk: at Nashville, 7:35 pm. Starter: Chayce McDermott (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Chesapeake: at Portland, 6:00 pm. Starter: Levi Wells (0-1, 3.10 ERA)
Aberdeen: at Jersey Shore, 6:35 pm. Starter: Nestor German (0-1, 4.29 ERA)
Delmarva: at Myrtle Beach, 7:05 pm. Starter: Sebastian Gongora (0-1, 6.30 ERA)