Triple-A: Syracuse Nationals 6, Norfolk Tides 3
A great start from Nestor German went to waste, as the Tides’ bullpen allowed four runs in the 8th inning to turn a win into a loss against Syracuse.
German was dominant early on, setting down the first six batters he faced, including three by strikeout. Already up 2-0 heading into the 3rd, the right-hander allowed a leadoff single that turned into a run thanks to another single with two outs.
From there, the 24-year-old went back into domination mode, ending the 3rd with a strikeout. That punch-out
would be the first of 12 Mets in a row that German sent down, as he took his start into the 7th inning for the first time all season. His night ended after the Mets’ Grae Kessinger golfed a 2-0 fastball over the left field fence to cut the Norfolk advantage to 3-2.
German finished with a final line of 6.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB and 8 K in one of his strongest starts of the season. He lowered his season ERA to 4.52 and now has 78 Ks in 65.2 IP.
Relievers Josh Walker and Hans Crouse could not hold that one-run lead, however. After taking over for German in the 7th, Walker continued into the 8th. He’d allow a one-out walk that turned into the game-tying run after an RBI double from Jackson Cluff. Crouse then took over and proceeded to walk the bases loaded. A sac fly gave Syracuse a 4-3 lead, and a successful steal of home and an RBI double saw that lead balloon to 6-3.
Offensively, the Tides were staked to an early lead thanks to a two-run homer from Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the 1st inning. It was CES’s 16th homer and 41st and 42nd RBI’s of the season as he continues to be the heartbeat of the Tides’ lineup. Michael Siani added to that lead with a solo homer in the 5th, his first for Norfolk. Luis Vázquez tried to start a rally with a one-out double in the 9th, only to be left stranded.
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 8, Richmond Flying Squirrels 4
The Baysox used big innings in the 5th and 7th to fly past the Flying Squirrels and score a series-opening win in Bowie.
The Baysox went into the bottom of the 5th inning tied 0-0. Adam Retzbach tried to start a rally with a lead-off double, only to be thrown at third trying to stretch it into a triple. Douglas Hodo III followed that with a double of his own before Ethan Anderson reached on a fielder’s choice that failed to cut down Hodo. Thomas Sosa then broke the deadlock by blasting a three-run homer over the right-center fence to give Chesapeake its first lead. The 21-year-old was the offensive standout Tuesday, finishing the game 2-for-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBI’s.
After Richmond got two runs back with a two-run shot of their own in the 6th, the Baysox effectively put the game away in the 7th. Retzbach led off the inning by being hit by a pitch and moved into scoring position on a Hodo walk. Anderson then tried to sac bunt both over, only for Flying Squirrel pitcher Ryan Vanderhei to make an errant throw to third that allowed Retzbach and Hodo to score.
Sosa followed up the error by reaching on a single and Anderson De Los Santos walked to load the bases. With one out, Griff O’Ferrall singled to right to push across Anderson and grow the lead to 6-2. With the bases still loaded and two outs, Frederick Bencosme singled to extend the lead to five. Chesapeake then pushed across their final run of the inning on a Retzbach walk as they succeeded in batting around.
Richmond would get some consolation runs in the 7th thanks to another two-run blast. It was one of only two hits allowed by the Chesapeake bullpen Tuesday. The strong relief effort backed an equally strong start from Sebastian Gongora, who finished with a final line of 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 5 K.
High-A: Hub City Spartanburgers 4, Frederick Keys 0
The Keys only managed three hits in Tuesday’s series opener as they were shut out by the visiting Spartanburgers.
Two of the three hits came from 2025 first-round pick Ike Irish. The Keys’ 1B led off the 4th with a single and gave Frederick one of their only scoring opportunities with a two-out triple in the 9th. The Keys’ other hit Tuesday came via Elis Cuevas one-out double in the 3rd. Cuevas was then erased after being caught off the bag on an inning-ending strike’em-out-throw’em-out double play.
The Spartanburgers broke the deadlock in the 4th thanks to a string of hits. After back-to-back one-out singles, Hub City’s Maxton Martin sliced a ball down the left field line for a two-run triple. The Spartanburgers followed that up with a two-out double in the 5th to grow the lead to 3-0. Hub City would get the final run of the game in the 6th, working a one-out walk, moving the runner to third on a single and then having him score on a wild pitch.
Low-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans 12, Delmarva Shorebirds 4
The Pelicans scored four runs in the 6th and five runs in the 7th to turn a tie game into a blowout in their win over the Shorebirds.
Delmarva came into the bottom of the 5th down 3-0 thanks to a run-scoring double in the 2nd and a pair of run-scoring wild pitches in the 4th. Jaiden Lo Re started the rally in the 5th with a lead-off double and then moved to third on a wild pitch. However, he was erased on a double play when Raylin Ramos lined a would-be sac fly to right, only for Lo Re to be cut down at the plate.
Three batters later, Jose Perez finally made good on Delmarva’s run-scoring threats. After back-to-back two-out walks, Perez launched a three-run homer to right field to tie the game at three. It was Perez’s sixth long ball of the year and raised his RBI total to 19.
That tied game was short-lived, however, as the Pelicans retook the lead with a flurry in the 6th. They led off the inning with a double, proceeded to load the bases, and then cleared the bases on a throwing error from Shorebirds SS DJ Layton. Myrtle Beach would add a two-out double to grow their lead to 7-3.
Things only got worse for the Shorebirds in the 7th. The Pelicans again started the inning by loading the bases with no outs, scored their eighth run on another error, walked in their ninth run and then swatted a single to right to score two. The Pelican’s 12th and final run of the game came via a one-out sac fly, as they turned a tie game into a nine-run in the span of two innings.
Delmarva would get a consolation run in the bottom of the 7th, as Lo Re started the inning by reaching on a three-base error from the Myrtle Beach 3B. Ramos then singled to left to cut the deficit to eight. It’d be the last Shorebird hit of the night, as they failed to make any more dents in the sizeable Pelican lead.
Wednesday’s scheduled games
Norfolk Tides at Syracuse Mets, 11:05am ET (TBD vs. Jack Wenniger)
Chesapeake Baysox vs. Richmond Fly Squirrels, 6:35pm ET (Luis De León vs. Charlie McDaniel)
Frederick Keys vs. Hub City Spartanburgers, Game 1, 5:00pm ET (Caden Hunter vs. Brock Porter)
Frederick Keys vs. Hub City Spartanburgers, Game 2 (Keifer Lord vs. J Briell Easley)
Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Myrtle Beach Pelicans, 7:05pm ET (Stephen Still vs. TBD)
