Triple-A: Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) 8, Norfolk Tides 4
Trey Gibson struggled mightily in his third career appearance at Triple-A, and the Norfolk offense couldn’t pick him up as the Tides suffered a series-opening loss. After allowing six runs (3 ER) in his previous outing for Norfolk, Gibson was hit even harder Tuesday and the struggles started from the very first inning. With Norfolk up 2-0, he gave up a double followed by an RBI single in the 1st that cut the lead in half. History would repeat itself in the 2nd, as a double and a two-out single saw
Gwinnett tie the game at two.
Things got even worse for Gibson in the 3rd, when he left a cutter over the plate to Stripers CF Jonathan Ornelas, who sent it 406 feet to center for a two-run homer. Now trailing 4-2, the Tides tied the game in the top of the 4th thanks to the bottom half of their lineup. José Barrero reached on a one-out double and Livan Soto immediately drove him in on a single to center. Two batters later, Jordyn Adams laced a two-out double to the right-center gap to score Soto and tie things at 4-4.
The tie didn’t last very long once Gibson came out for the 4th. He gave up back-to-back doubles to start the inning, allowing the Stripers to retake the lead at 5-4. After a walk, he gave up his 10th hit of the evening, an RBI single center that scored Gwinnett’s sixth run and spelled the end of the day for Gibson.
Reliever Houston Roth allowed one inherited runner to score on a sac fly, closing Gibson’s line at 3+ IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K and 1 Hr. The bullpen would largely settle things down from there, giving up only one run over the final six innings of work. It wouldn’t matter much, as the offense managed only four singles across the final five frames and never got much of a rally attempt going.
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 5, Reading Fightin Phils (Phillies) 2
Designated hitter Reed Trimble tied the game on a two-run homer in the 6th and put the Baysox up for good with an RBI double in the 8th, as Chesapeake stormed back to take down the Fightin Phils.
After Reading took a 2-0 lead in the 5th on a two-run single, Trimble quickly knotted the score back up in the top of the 6th. Brandon Butterworth led off the inning with a single, but two quick outs left him in danger of being stranded on second. Instead, Trimble golfed a 3-1 pitch over the right field fence for a game-tying two-run blast.
The 25-year-old’s heroics didn’t stop there. With two outs in the 8th, Austin Overn singled to center to put the winning run on first. Trimble then worked a full count before pulling a down and in pitch into the left center gap for an RBI double. After going 2-for-4 with a double, HR and three RBIs, Trimble raised his season average to .240 and his OPS up to .803.
Butterworth would give Chesapeake some insurance runs with a two-run double in the top of the 9th. Although he didn’t factor in the decision, the Baysox got another strong outing from towering right-hander Blake Money. The LSU product pitched five innings, only allowing four hits and two runs, while punching out eight. Money now has 72 Ks in 51.2 IP at Double-A this year, and 137 Ks in 104.2 IP across all levels.
High-A: Aberdeen IronBirds 4, Jersey Shore Blue Claws (Phillies) 0
Five Aberdeen pitchers combined for a shutout as Aberdeen earned a wire-to-wire victory over the Blue Claws.
The star of the IronBirds pitching staff on Tuesday was starter Wellington Aracena. The 20-year-0ld, acquired in the Gregory Soto trade with the Mets, put together four scoreless innings while allowing only one hit and punching out six. Aracena did issue four walks in those four frames, but prevented any damage thanks to his strikeout stuff. In four outings since being promoted to High-A, the Orioles’ No. 29 prospect has 20 Ks in 17 IP and a .093 average against.
The IronBird offense gave Aracena an early lead to protect, thanks to top prospects like Nate George and Vance Honeycutt. George led off the bottom of the first with a single and moved to thrid on a single from Honeycutt. After Honeycutt swiped second, both scored on a single from 1B Victor Figueroa to give Aberdeen a 2-0 lead. The IronBirds were menaces on the base paths Tuesday, as George, Honeycutt and Edwin Amparo combined to steal six bases.
Amparo used those wheels to double the IronBirds lead in the 5th. Ryan Stafford led off the inning with a double and then scored on an Amparo single that bounced through the right side of the infield. The infielder would then swipe second, move to third on a George single and steal home for the fourth and final Aberdeen run.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 4, Carolina Mudcats (Brewers) 3
The Shorebirds scored runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th as they scored a come-from-behind victory in their series opener.
Trailing 3-1 entering the 7th, Braylin Tavera kicked off the inning by drawing a six-pitch walk. Tavera then moved to second on a wild pitch and on to third on a groundout. With two outs, DH Stiven Martinez got a pitch over the middle of the plate and lined it into left to score Tavera and cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Shorebirds started another rally in the 8th when Caden Bodine worked a lead-off walk. RJ Austin then reached on a fielding error, and Colin Yeaman laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. After scoring the run in the 7th, Tavera drove home Delmarva’s run in the 8th, slashing a single into right field to tie the game at 3-3.
After Sayer Diederich worked a scoreless bottom of the 8th, Ike Irish got the winning rally going with another walk. Austin also worked a walk and Yeaman was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tavera then played hero again, working a six-pitch walk to force home Irish and give Delmarva a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish. The 20-year-old OF out of the Dominican Republic finished the game 2-for-3 with two singles, two walks, two runs and two RBIS.
Wednesday’s Scheduled Games
Norfolk Tides at Gwinnett Stripers, 7:05pm ET (Tyler Wells vs. JR Ritchie)
Chesapeake Baysox at Reading Fightin Phils, 6:45pm ET (Zach Fruit vs. Charles King)
Aberdeen IronBirds vs. Jersey Shore Blue Claws, 7:05pm ET (Boston Bateman vs. Sam Highfill)
Delmarva Shorebirds at Carolina Mudcats, 6:30pm ET (Kiefer Lord vs. Enderson Mercado)
