A look at how all four Baltimore Orioles Minor League affilates performed this past week
*Cover Photo Credit: Kate Kirsch
It was an exciting week in the Orioles' farm system. Let's look into how each Orioles Minor League affiliate did last week.
AAA Norfolk Tides
It was a successful week for the Norfolk Tides who invaded Nashville, Tennessee and claimed the series againt the Sounds 4-2.

The main headline of the series came from Friday's 2-0 win which featured some history. Pitching prospect Chayce McDermott, Nolan Hoffman, and Kaleb Ort worked together for a combined no-hitter. It was Norfolk's seventh no-no in franchise history and their first since 2010 when Chris Tillman tossed a 9-inning no-no of his own. For McDermott and Hoffman, it was the second time that they have been involved in a combined no-hitter in just the past year. The two of them plus Easton Lucas spun one against the Altoona Curve last May.
The offense didn't really ever lose a beat in this 6-game set. They outscored the Sounds 35-25, and twice they had double-digit hit efforts in a single game. Some Tides hitters had some really incredible offensive performances througout the entire week. O's No. 3 prospect Coby Mayo went 2-for-6 on Thursday night with 5 RBI. MLB's No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday had a 3-hit effort in the series opener. The Tides' offense is slowly heating up again after a quiet couple of weeks prior.
Norfolk stands at 16-17, good enough for 7th place in the International League. Here are three players who stood out for Norfolk while in Nashville.
RHP Chayce McDermott: sitting at No. 8 on the Orioles' top prospects list, the righty's 6.2 inning 11 strikeout effort in the combined no-no on Friday helped earn him the International League Pitcher of the Week award.
IF Coby Mayo: the imposing 6'5" infield prospect put on a showcase in the first three games of the series, homering in each of them while going 6-for-15 (.400) with 9 RBI.
OF Daniel Johnson: the power-hitting outfielder went 5-for-15 (.333) in the series with 8 RBI, and he only struck out twice signifying how well he has seen the ball lately.
Norfolk remains on the road to face the Memphis Red Birds starting tonigh.
AA Bowie Baysox

The Baysox homestand against the Erie Seawolves was cut to five games due to Sunday's finale being cancelled to rain. However, in the five games that did occur, the Baysox claimed victory and won the series 3-2. It wasn't your typical lock-down series win, however. Though the team amassed 35 hits in those 5 games, they were outscored 32-28 by the Erie offense and they also committed 7 errors. So, perhaps it was not the cleanest series win but...hey! A win is a win, right?!
Bowie sits at 14-12 and they are 3.5 games behind the first place in the Eastern League. This week's opponents the Akron Rubberducks, are currently on top at first place. Here are three notable Baysox players who stood out this week.
C Samuel Basallo: MLB's No. 15 prospect returned to catching duties after some elbow discomfort delayed him from doing so to start the season. Even amidst a hit-by-pitch that took him out of Thursday's game, he still went 5-for-16 (.312) with a pair of dingers and 7 RBI.
RHP Kade Strowd: the right-hander's 2.2 scoreless innings of work (1 H, 1 K) has earned him a promotion to Triple-A Norfolk.
IF Anthony Servideo: the former 3rd rounder from Ole Miss had a nice ending to the series, going 5-for-10 (.500) in the final three games with two home runs.
Bowie remains home to start a 6-game homestand with the division leading Rubberducks tonight. A special guests will appear with the Baysox as 2023 Orioles All-Star Austin Hays begins a rehab assignment as he recovers from a strained calf. Purchase tickets to the homestand here.
A+ Aberdeen Ironbirds

The Ironbirds traveled to Brooklyn this week to face the Cyclones for the first time this season. Unfortunately, the Cyclones came out victorious, winning the series 4-2. Twice the Ironbirds were shut out by Cyclones pitching as they could not muster a single run either Friday or Saturday, and they were only able to get two runs out of a five hit effort on Sunday. The offense was not able to stay up with the pitching, which wasn't even that bad. They kept Brooklyn to just 3 runs and 10 hits on Wednesday and Thursday.
Aberdeen is now in last place in the South Atlantic League, but not with that bad of a record though (13-14). They're in a competitive division, and they really are not far off in the SAL postseason picture. Here are three players who stood out for Aberdeen last week. Expect pitching to headline this list.
OF Matthew Etzel: the 22-year-old went 5-for-9 (.555) with 3 RBI and just one single strikeout. He continues to lead the offensive charge for Aberdeen.
LHP Deivy Cruz: the southpaw worked a total of 2.2 innings in 2 appearances this past week. He kept Brooklyn scoreless and hitless while striking out 5 batters. He now has a 1.59 ERA with an 0.88 WHIP this season.
RHP Zach Fruit: the righty got the start on Friday and went 5 innings of one (unearned) run ball, striking out 7 along the way and walking just one batter.
Aberdeen is back home this weekend to host the Hudson Valley Renegades, also known as Orioles versus Yankees High-A edition. Purchase tickets here.
A- Delmarva Shorebirds
It's been a struggle for the Shorebirds to say the least. Many of these young players are being exposed to pro ball for the first time, and it is both an adjustment and a culture shock for them. Thus, this has translated to early offensive struggles, yet the pitching has done a great job at trying to keep the Shorebirds in games. Nonetheless, it has still been a rough start for Delmarva.

Things seemed to pick up in this past week's series against Fayettville where for the first time this season, the Shorebirds did not lose a series. They tied with the Woodpeckers and saw improved results. The team collected 40 hits total and outscored Fayettville 9-5 in the final three games, all of which were wins. Maxwell Costes, with Delmarva on a rehab assignment for Bowie, Aron Estrada, and Angel Tejada were responsible for 10 of those hits. Perhaps this is the turnaround that Delmarva has been looking for, and the momentum has to feel somewhat better after a much better stretch of games this past week against Fayettville. Can the Shorebirds march onward from here?
Delmarva still sits in last place in the Carolina League with a 6-20 record. Here are three standout performers from this past series for the Shorebirds.
IF Maxwell Costes: the Maryland native is on a rehab assignment for the Bowie Baysox. He swung it well the entire week, going 8-for-17 (.470) with 4 RBIs.
C Cole Urman: the backstop appeared in 3 games for the Shorebirds this past week and went 3-for-9 with a walk and a run.
RHP Luis De Leon: the righty punched out 10 batters in Friday's 5-1 win. He went 4.2 innings in his start and allowd just 3 earned runs.
The Shorebirds hit the road for a 6-game series at the Kannappolis Cannon-Ballers.
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