Rutschman’s rehab continues, wins for Chesapeake and Delmarva, and some impressive mound work.
Triple-A: Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies) 14, Norfolk Tides 6
Dylan Beavers fans will be thrilled with this game. The right fielder smacked two home runs, scored three times, and drove in four runs. A post-trade deadline promotion to Baltimore seems like an inevitability at this point.
The rest of the offense was less productive. Adley Rutschman went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout as his rehab continues. Vimael Machín had two hits, including his 12th home run of the season. Heston Kjerstad was 1-for-4 with a walk, a strikeout, and a run.
The less said about the Norfolk pitching effort the better. Cameron Weston started and struggled. Over 4.1 innings he gave up six runs on seven hits, two walks, four strikeouts, and three home runs. Four relievers followed, and over 3.2 innings they coughed up eight runs, six of which were earned.
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 6, Altoona Curve (Pirates) 3
This was as efficient of a pitching performance as you will see. Ryan Long started for Chesapeake and navigated five shutout innings with just 47 pitches. He allowed just one hit, no walks, and struck out one batter. Blake Money limped through the final four frames. He allowed three runs on four hits, one walk, four strikeouts, and two homers.
The Baysox managed to score six times despite having just one extra-base hit, a Max Wagner double. Four of their runs came in the third inning, when they strung together three walks, three singles, and the aforementioned double. Cole Urman was the only member of the lineup with multiple hits (two singles). Creed Willems went 1-for-5.
High-A: Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox) 8, Aberdeen IronBirds 4
Aberdeen used five pitchers in the game. Four of them were pretty good, but Sebastian Gongora’s early struggles put the game out of reach. In just 1.1 innings Gongora allowed seven runs on four hits, three walks, three strikeouts, and two home runs. Gongora exited in the second inning with the bases loaded. Christian Herberholz replaced him and allowed all three of those runs to score, and then stayed on for two more innings after that. Carter Baumler appeared in this one and struck out four over 1.2 scoreless frames.
The IronBirds lineup collected six hits and six walks, but they went just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. A rehabbing Chadwick Tromp had one hit, two walks, and one run. Grif O’Ferrall was 1-for-5. Ethan Anderson went 0-for-3 with two walks and a run. Austin Overn walked twice and scored a run.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 8, Lynchburg Hillcats (Guardians) 2
The Shorebirds filled up the box score in this one. They had 10 hits, nine walks, 10 strikeouts, three doubles, and two stolen bases. Kevin Guerrero led the way with three hits, a double, a run, and two RBI. Nate George went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Joshua Liranzo singled, walked, and scored twice.
The three Delmarva pitchers combined to strike out 14 Lynchburg hitters and limited them to two runs on five hits. Yeiber Cartaya got the win with five scoreless innings in which he gave up just one run and struck out six. Carlos Tavera and Jack Crowder then combined to allow two runs on four hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts in the final four frames.
Thursday’s Schedule
Norfolk: at Lehigh Valley, 7:05 pm. Starter: Cade Povich (0-1, 4.70 ERA)
Chesapeake: at Altoona, 6:00 pm. Starter: Zach Fruit (0-1, 8.03 ERA)
Aberdeen: v. Winston-Salem, 7:05 pm. Starter: TBD
Delmarva: vs Lynchburg, 7:05 pm. Starter: Evan Yates (4-4, 4.06 ERA)