Orioles MiLB Recap: April 22-27
- Grant DeVivo
- Apr 29
- 7 min read
Checking in on how each Baltimore Orioles affiliate performed last week
*Cover Photo Credit: Grant DeVivo
It was a busy week down on the farm in Birdland. Tons of great pitching performances and rehab assignments made up for tons of the action in the Orioles' Minor League system. Let's take a look at how each team performed this past week.
AAA Norfolk Tides
The Tides hosted the Memphis Red Birds (Cardinals AAA) in a six-game homestand last week. Needless to say, it was not the showing that they wanted to give to their home fans. They dropped the series 5-1 with their lone win coming in the series finale on Sunday.
Though it was a rough week for the Tides, the Sunday finale at least put some smiles on the Tides' faces. The Tides got off to a quick start with a 3-0 lead by the fourth inning. "The Machin" contributed with his second homer of the year. After seeing their lead slip away, they rallied back in the seventh inning and took the lead back on base hits from Emmanuel Rivera and Machin. An insurance run would be added in the eighth thanks to a passed ball by catcher Jimmy Crooks. Rodolfo Martinez would shut the door for his third save of the season. It was a great team win and again, a nice way to end a rough week before hitting the road. On a side note, top catching prospect Samuel Basallo returned to the lineup with a 1-for-2 showing after missing time with a hamstring injury.
The Tides missed some key scoring opportunities late in games, and double plays ruined offensive rallies in the ninth innings of several losses. The pitching was hit-or-miss, though some arms really showed out. Dylan Heid threw twice in his first week with the Tides and allowed just one hit and run a piece over three innings of work. Roansy Contreras had a solid three inning start on Saturday as he allowed just two hits and an unearned run. On the other hand, some arms struggled mightly. Thaddus Ward was tagged for 12 earned runs and 16 hits over two starts. He also walked a total of six batters. Raul Alcantara did not even record an out on Thursday after he surrendered seven earned runs, two walks, and four hits.
The Tides fall to 9-17 and sit ninth in the International League. Even amidst a rough series, some guys still had stellar performances. Here are three players who showed out for the Tides.
OF Dylan Beavers: the 2022 first rounder stayed hot with a 7-for-19 (.368) showing against Memphis. He clobbered a home run on Friday night and picked up five RBI in the series. He is hitting .333 in his last 15 games.
IF Coby Mayo: the Orioles' No. 2 prospect went 9-for-16 (.316) with a .960 OPS, two RBI, and four runs scored. He now has a 1.026 OPS in his last 15 games.
RHP Nathan Webb: the righty made two big appearances out of the bullpen last week. In five relief innings, he allowed only one earned run and had two strikeouts while walking just two batters. His season ERA has dropped to a solid 2.08.
The Tides head to Charlotte this week to take on the 12-15 Knights (White Sox AAA) once again.
AA Chesapeake Baysox
The Baysox played infront of the home faithful last week as they hosted the Altoona Curve (Pirates AA) for the first time this season. Do not let them dropping the series 4-2 fool you. It was a well-played and closely contested series.
The Baysox welcomed two Orioles pitchers on rehab assignments. On Wednesday morning, southpaw and 2021 National League All-Star Trevor Rogers got the start on the bump for the Baysox. This was the start of his rehab assignment for a right knee subluxation. He threw three innings on 44 pitches, striking out three batters and walking just one. The two earned runs scored against him were on a two-run home run in the first inning off the bat of Kervin Pichardo. On Sunday afternoon, they welcomed back Orioles No. 4 prospect Chayce McDermott as he began a rehab assignment for a right lat strain. This was his first appearance with the Baysox since 2023 where in 16 games, the fan-favorite pitching prospect posted a 3.56 ERA. McDermott worked 1.2 innings (43 pitches) on Sunday to the tune of an earned run (a solo home run) and three punchouts. His fastball topped out at 92 MPH, though that is expected to go back up as he ramps up his throwing program. He did walk three batters in the first inning, however.
Some other Baysox pitchers had phenominal weeks as the team continued to showcase the surplus of pitching talent at the Double-A level. Alex Pham dominated on Tuesday night as he struck out 11 batters and allowed just one earned run over 5.1 innings of a start. In two appearances, he tossed 10 innings while racking up 17 strikeouts. He allowed just two earned runs and walke just one batter all week. Righty Braxton Bragg made his Double-A debut on Wednesday in relief of the rehabbing Rogers. He introduced himself with 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just three hits and striking out eight batters. Gerald Ogando had two big relief outings and racked up seven K's in four relief innings. He, too, did not yield a run.
The Baysox now sit at 11-10 and are tied with the Curve for second place in the Eastern League. Here are three standout performers from last week. It is tough to choose just three standouts.
RHP Alex Pham: the Orioles No. 29 prospect continues to show why he does not need to be in AA ball anymore. In 10 innings, he racked up 17 K's and allowed just two earned runs. He walked only one batter.
RHP Gerald Ogando: the righty came up clutch out of the Baysox bullpen twice last week. He allowed just one hit all week and no earned runs while striking out seven batters.
C Silas Ardoin: the Longhorns alum went 5-for-14 (.357) with a 1.323 OPS and a .714 SLG. His game-tying two-run homer on Wednesday gave the Baysox a chance late in the game, and he also caught a runner stealing that same day.
Chesapeake begins a two-week roadtrip this week. They start with a visit to the Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies AA).
A+ Aberdeen Ironbirds
The Ironbirds made a visit to the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals A+) last week. In their first match up of the year with the Rocks, they dropped the series 4-2.
The Ironbirds offense had a slow start to the week as in the first three games, they could only collect 15 hits and five runs. They left 21 runners on base but still went a modest 8-for-28 (.285) with runners in scoring position. The bats broke out for the final three games, which resulted the 'Birds in claiming two of the last three games. They outscored the Rocks 17-16 to the tune of 29 hits, five stolen bases, 13 walks, and seven two-out RBI. Aneudis Mordan went 3-for-7 in two of those games while Ryan Stafford collected four RBI. They put together a nice comeback win on Friday by putting up a three-spot in the ninth inning down 3-1. Stafford got the game-tying 2-RBI double while Jalen Vazquez drove in the go-ahead and game-winning run on a two-out RBI single.
On the mound, No. 8 prospect Michael Forret went 5.1 innings of one-run ball on Wednesday. He K'd seven and did not allow a walk. Blake Money had his own 5.1 inning, 7 K, no walk outing on Saturday as well. It looks like there was some copy-and-paste action going on within the Ironbirds' rotation this week!
Aberdeen sits at 9-12, good for fourth place in the South Atlantic League. Here are three standout performers from last week for Aberdeen.
IF Jalen Vazquez: the South Carolinian went 5-for-12 (.417) with three walks and two RBI. His ninth inning RBI single on Friday helped the Ironbirds to a comeback 4-3 win over the Blue Rocks.
C Ryan Stafford: the backstop had a 6-for-15 (.400) week with six RBI and four walks, which contributed to a .476 OBP. He had a crucial game-tying 2-RBI double on Friday night, which set up the Vazquez game-winning single.
RHP Ty Weatherly: the 24-year-old got the start on the mound on Thursday and excelled. In 4.1 innings, he struck out six batters and allowd just two hits in a scoreles start.
Aberdeen is home this week for a six-game set against the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays A+).
A- Delmarva Shorebirds
The Shorebirds hosted the Augusta GreenJackets (Braves A-) for a six-game homestand last week. It did not go their way as they dropped the series 5-1. They have yet to win a series yet this year and are just 2-10 in their last 12 games.
The Birds hung in there in each game, but something was always missing during each loss. In Tuesday's 5-1 loss, the offense did not get on the board until the ninth inning. By that point, it was nearly too late to get any momentum going against GreenJackets arms who were locked in. The same scenario occured in the Shorebirds' 4-1 loss on Friday night. Skipper Collin Woody was eventually thrown out of the game in the sixth inning. In Thursday's 9-5 loss, it was the bullpen that could not hold the fort down. They surrendered three runs in the ninth to loose a 5-2 lead, then surrendered four runs in the tenth inning en route to the 9-5 loss. Their lone win game on Friday night as they used walks and hit-by-pitches to secure a 3-2 win. Yasmil Bucce went 2-for-4 with a walk.
Delmarva falls to 5-16 and sit in last place in the Carolina League. Here are three standout performers from last week.
C Yasmil Bucce: the backstop from Venezuela had a phenominal week with the bat. He went 7-for-21 (.333) and had three two-hit games. He scored three runs and collected two walks. He also hosed a pair of runners trying to steal against him on Tuesday.
RHP Evan Yates: once again, the righty reliever did his job out of the pen. He picked up the win on Friday after going five innings with six strikeouts and one run and walk a piece.
C Cole Urman: the former California State University standout did his part on both offense and defense. He went 6-for-14 (.429) with a pair of doubles. He also caught a runner stealing on Wednesday and allowed just one wild pitch to get by him.
Delmarva hits the road this week for a road trip to the Fayetville Wood Peckers (Astros A-).
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