Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 4, Gwinnett Stripers (ATL) 1
Norfolk wasted no time in this one, posting a three-spot in the first inning, courtesy of Creed Willems’ three-run shot after shortstop Payton Eeles and outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez reached. The next inning, Ryan Noda took a leadoff walk, advanced on a Silas Ardoin single, and scored courtesy of Jud Fabian’s single to left. Regrettably, the catcher Ardoin tried to steal home, too, and got rung up at the plate.
On the other hand, the lead held,
as the Stripers couldn’t do much against Tides starter Nestor German, who threw 5 ⅔ one-run innings on Sunday. Gwinett scored in the top of the third on an RBI double by Brett Wisely, but they couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position after that, stranding two on base in the third and failing to score despite loading the bases with one out in the fifth.
It was a satisfying win for German, who had a 5.49 April ERA, but a nice 0.82 mark in the month of May. Willems’ homer was his eighth of the year. Gwinnett won the series 4-2 and went 7-5 on the two-week road trip.
Double-A: Altoona Curve (PIT) 9, Chesapeake Baysox 3
Bullpen shenanigans buried the Baysox late, but for Yaqui Rivera it was, tentatively, a decent first career Double-A start. The right-hander, typically used as a bullpen arm, made his first start since August 10, 2023. Despite allowing a first-inning run on a two-out single, he still delivered a strong performance, working one full trip through the Altoona lineup and striking out five hitters, allowing the lone run on one hit and one walk in 2 ⅔ innings.
The Baysox did all their scoring in the bottom of the second. Chesapeake clubbed three doubles off Altoona right-hander Peyton Stumbo. Thomas Sosa doubled with one out, later scoring on an automatic double that bounced over the wall from Frederick Bencosme to tie the game. The Baysox loaded the bases with two outs before another automatic double, this time from Griff O’Ferrall, plated two more and gave Chesapeake a 3-1 edge.
Regrettably, the Curve flipped the script in the sixth. Left-hander Juan Rojas allowed a single hit and two walks to load the bases before being lifted. Too bad: Zane Barnhart allowed a grand slam to put the Curve on top 5-3. A fifth run scored on a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Altoona added three more runs in the top of the ninth on four hits and a Baysox error.
Jackson Holliday had the day off; his rehab assignment continues when Chesapeake opens a home series against Somerset on Tuesday.
High-A: Frederick Keys 9, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (PHI) 1
Do moms like homers? This was a romp—call it a belated Mother’s Day gift for Keys fans. The Frederick Keys hit seven home runs in a 9-1 dismantling of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws in the series finale at Nymeo Field.
There were, if you follow me, a lot of home runs. Three were hit in back-to-back-to-back fashion in the first inning, helping to set up a 6-0 lead, as Reed Trimble, Wehiwa Aloy, and Ike Irish all went deep. Aloy himself homered three times this game. Elis Cuevas homered twice.
So that was pretty good.
Low-A: Salem RidgeYaks (BOS) 13, Delmarva Shorebirds 3
Last and maybe least, if we’re being honest, it was a tough Mother’s Day finale for the Shorebirds. Starter Brayan Orratia got rocked, to the tune of seven runs (although just two earned) in 1.2 innings. Riley Cooper wasn’t much better, allowing four more runs in 2.1 innings… on a grand slam. Then, a combined outfit of Bradley Brehmer, Brendan Parks and J.D. Hennen allowed three runs in 3.1 innings.
The Shorebirds had actually struck first, capitalizing on back-to-back Salem errors in the top of the first, as Jose Perez brought home Raylin Ramos to make it 1-0. The RidgeYaks answered with seven straight runs over the next two innings (gah) to take a 7-1 lead. Delmarva chipped one run back in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Junior Aybar, but Salem responded with a Kleyver Salazar grand slam to go up 11-2. DJ Layton drove in the Shorebirds’ third run, but Salem cruised to a 13-3 win, splitting the series.
Today’s Schedule
There are no scheduled games on Monday, May 11.
