Norfolk were the lone winners, featuring a three-walk day for Samuel Basallo and a solid start for Roansy Contreras.
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 5, Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) 2
All of Norfolk’s runs came in a big third inning. Jud Fabian led off with a single, moved to second on a sac bunt from Jordyn Adams, and then scored on a home run from the rehabbing Jorge Mateo. Heston Kjerstad re-set the table with a walk, but was then thrown out at home on a Jeremiah Jackson double. Samuel Basallo walked to put two runners on ahead of Vimael Machín, who then cashed in with a two-run double. Emmanuel Rivera capped the scoring with a single to drive in Machín.
Jackson, Rivera, and the newly signed Jacob Stallings each had two hits. Kjerstad singled and worked two walks. Basallo had three base on balls. On the the day, Norfolk went 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Roansy Contreras started on the mound, and turned in another solid outing. Over five innings he gave up just one run on three hits, a walk, and two strikeouts. His season ERA is down to 3.75. Matt Bowman tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Grant Wolfram contributed a shutout eighth. Yaramil Hiraldo came on for the ninth, and although he did serve up a solo homer, recorded the final three outs to get the Tides a win.
Double-A: Altoona Curve (Pirates) 4, Chesapeake Baysox 2
This was a rather brutal offensive showing for Chesapeake. Their two runs came on only five hits, a walk, and 14 strikeouts. Alfredo Velásquez was their main source of production, going 2-for-3 with a double and both of their RBI. Carter Young, Noelberth Romero, and Luis Valdez each singled. Young also walked. Tyler O’Neill, in his second rehab game, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts as the DH.
There was better news on the pitching side of things. Nestor German did well as the starter. Over 5.2 innings he gave up just two runs on four hits, no walks, and five strikeouts. Both of the runs he allowed came on a home run in the third inning. Yaqui Rivera followed with 1.1 scoreless innings. Then Walter Pennington had a tough inning, giving up a pair of runs on two hits, a walk, and two strikeouts. Daniel Lloyd kept things close with a perfect ninth inning that saw him strike out two.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds at Hub City Spartanburgers (Rangers) – PPD/Wet Grounds
Sounds like it was a wild weather day in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Heavy rain soaked the field for an hour, making the grounds unplayable. These two teams will play a doubleheader today. Game 1 is set for 5 p.m.
Low-A: Hickory Crawdads (Rangers) 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 4
One bad inning sunk the Shorebirds. Jacob Cravey worked five scoreless innings to begin the game. He returned for the sixth inning, but was knocked around. He faced four hitters in the frame and gave up two doubles, a walk, and a home run. He was pulled after allowing four runs and not recording an out in the inning. Reese Sharp was next up. He faced some initial struggles and gave up another run in the sixth inning before escaping. Ben Vespi dominated across his 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out five in the process.
Delmarva put up a fight on offense. They collected seven hits, four walks, and three stolen bases. Elis Cuevas hit his third home run of the year, a two-run shot in the sixth inning. Despite an 0-for-3 game, Nate George drove in the other two runs, the first on a sac bunt and the other on a ground out. Colin Tuft was the only player to have multiple hits. He singled and tripled, scoring twice in the game. Tuft, Andrés Nolaya, and Raylin Ramos each swiped a base as well.
Thursday’s Schedule
Norfolk: vs Gwinnett, 12:05 pm. Starter: TBD
Chesapeake: vs Altoona, 6:35 pm. Starter: Trey Gibson (1-0, 2.30 ERA)
Aberdeen: at Hub City, Game 1, 5 pm. Starter: Sebastian Gongora (1-0, 1.98 ERA)
Aberdeen: at Hub City, Game 2, TBD. Starter: TBD
Delmarva: vs Carolina, 7:05 pm. Starter: Evan Yates (3-2, 4.78 ERA)