Notes From the Minors 7/1

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Parker Bridwell had his strikeout stuff wotking for the Baysox. He worked six innings, allowing two run ons six hits and a pair of walks while striking out nine. He's the Hangout Milb Player of the Night.

Tides [AAA] Won 2 to 0

Michael Bowden pitched a nice game (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K).

Sean Halton hit a two run homer.

Baysox [AA] Lost 6 to 2

Corban Joseph went 3-for-4 with a double.

Trey Mancini went 2-for-4.

Keys [A+] Lost 4 to 0

Chris Lee turned in a nice start (6 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K).

Jeff Kemp singled for the lone Keys hit, breaking up a no-hitter in the 9th.

Shorebirds [A] Won 2 to 0

Josh Walker pitched a dandy (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K).

Steve Wilkerson went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

IronBirds [sS] Won 5 to 1

Francisco Jimenez made the start (5 IP, 7 H, ER, 0 BB, 2 K).

Randolph Gassaway went 2-for-5 with an RBI double.

GCL Orioles [R] Lost 3 to 1

Juan Valdez made the start (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K).

Daniel Franco went 3-for-3 with a double.

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Ian Locke

Michael Bowden fired seven shutout innings and Sean Halton hit a two-run home run as Norfolk blanked the Charlotte Knights 2-0 Wednesday night at Harbor Park.

Bowden (6-2) was terrific in helping extend Norfolk’s divisional lead to 1.5 games over the Knights, as he allowed just three hits while tying his season-high with seven innings pitched. The 28-year-old right-hander struck out five without walking a batter, needing just 82 pitches to navigate the outing – including just 19 balls. Bowden, who faced just two batters over the minimum, now has enough innings pitched to qualify among the International League leaders, where his 2.17 ERA leads the circuit.

Norfolk got all the runs they would need in the second frame, as Halton blasted a two-run shot deep to left field off of Kyle Drabek (3-5) for his first homer in a Tides uniform. Halton, who gave Norfolk a walk-off win on Tuesday with a two-out, two-run double in the last of the ninth, has now hit safely in four consecutive games.

Pedro Beato followed Bowden’s efforts with a scoreless eighth inning before giving way to Oliver Drake, who worked around a pair of walks by striking out the side in the ninth frame to earn his 12th save of the season. Drake has now registered 18 consecutive scoreless outings with Norfolk, over which he’s recorded 10 saves and 28 strikeouts in 18.2 innings.

With the win, Norfolk (45-33) moved a season-high 12 games over the .500 mark and picked up its third straight series victory.

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Douglass Newton

Mercedes’ Moonshot Propels ‘Birds to 4-3 Win

Shorebirds’ catcher with go-ahead two-run homer in 6th

SALISBURY, Md. -- The Delmarva Shorebirds went back and forth with the Lakewood BlueClaws in Tuesday’s series opener before finally securing a 4-3 victory. Delmarva (4-2, 37-37) took the lead for good on a go-ahead two-run home run by Yermin Mercedes in the sixth inning.

Set up by a pair of walks, Cam Kneeland opened the scoring for Delmarva with a two-out RBI single in the first inning. Damek Tomscha hit a two-run home run for Lakewood in the fourth inning to put the BlueClaws ahead. The Shorebirds immediately responded with another two-out RBI single, this time by Jared Breen for a 2-2 tie.

Consecutive doubles by Kyle Martin and Tomscha brought around another run for Lakewood in the sixth, reestablishing their advantage at 3-2. Shorebirds’ reliever Nick Cunningham finished off the sixth inning, stranding a runner on third base. Delmarva starter Lucas Long pitched 5.1 innings in the start, allowing three runs on eight hits.

Delmarva came right back in the bottom of the frame, turning the tides in their favor. A throwing error allowed Elier Leyva to reach as the leadoff runner. Yermin Mercedes demolished a towering home run to left field, a go-ahead two-run shot for a 4-3 lead. Mercedes’ second home run of the season gave Delmarva the decisive lead of the night.

Garrett Cortright came on for the save in the ninth, surrendering a leadoff double to Tomscha. After a popout and flare single, Lakewood moved the tying run to third base. Cortright buckled down for a popout and strikeout to end the game, a 4-3 victory.

Cunningham received the win for Delmarva, retiring all eight batters he faced in relief. Cortright bounced back for his sixth save of the year, after a tough-luck outing on Sunday. Scott Harris took the loss for the BlueClaws.

Walker, Hernandez Twirl Gem in 2-0 Shutout

Seventh shutout victory of season for Delmarva

SALISBURY, Md. -- The Delmarva Shorebirds submitted a masterful pitching performance for a 2-0 victory over the Lakewood BlueClaws on Wednesday night. Josh Walker and Ivan Hernandez dominated the night for Delmarva’s seventh shutout victory of the season.

Coming off a difficult outing against Hagerstown, Shorebirds’ starter Josh Walker pitched the finest start of his young career. Walker had never pitched past the fifth inning as a pro, until his seven scoreless frames on Wednesday. The right-hander allowed just three hits and zero walks while matching his career-high with six strikeouts.

In a pitchers’ duel, BlueClaws’ starter Tyler Viza matched Walker until the seventh inning. Delmarva broke the scoreless tie to give Walker all the run support he needed. Steve Wilkerson led off the frame with a single, and moved over on a sacrifice bunt by T.J. Olesczuk and single by Logan Uxa. Cam Kneeland sent a deep drive to center, caught by Jiandido Tromp on the warning track for a sacrifice fly and a 1-0 lead.

The Shorebirds pushed across a crucial insurance run in the eighth inning. Three consecutive singles by Jared Breen, Jay Gonzalez and Wilkerson doubled Delmarva’s lead to 2-0. Ivan Hernandez had no trouble in a perfect ninth inning, striking out Damek Tomscha to secure the win.

Walker improved his record to 3-1, while lowering his season ERA by over a point. Hernandez pitched two scoreless innings, completing Delmarva’s seventh shutout of the year and picking up his first save as a Shorebird. Viza fell to 4-3 despite pitching very well for Lakewood.

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Daniel Kurish

Summary

The IronBirds defeated the Staten Island Yankees 5-1 in the first game of a three game series, extending their win-streak to four games. The IronBirds scored in five different innings, en route to the victory.

Early Bird Gets the Worm

The IronBirds struck early with an RBI from Randolph Gassaway to score Cedric Mullins. Mullins doubled to start the game, then stole third, before Gassaway brought him in.

All Square

The Yankees knotted things up in the second inning with an RBI infield single from Ryan Krill to push a run across.

Ground Control to Major Tom

The IronBirds initiated their takeoff in the third inning when Ronarsy Ledesma hit an RBI groundout to score Drew Turbin to take the lead, 2-1. The scoring continued in the fourth. Mike Odenwaelder slid into third off of a line drive to Yankees right-fielder Griffin Gordon. Gordon threw to third, hitting the sliding Odenwaelder, who was then awarded home plate when the ball ended up in the dugout, extending the lead to 3-1.

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

With a 3-1 lead, the IronBirds hit a pair of RBI's to extend their lead to 5-1. The first run came from a Yariel Vargas base hit to score Turbin in the fifth, and the second run would come in the seventh inning with Ledesma hitting to score Steve Laurino.

Bird Watching

RHP Lazaro Leyva made his debut with four stikeouts, and his fastball reached 97 mph on the radar… RHP Robert Strader also pitched in his first professional game, recording two strikeouts in one and two-thirds innings… Steve Laurino extended his hitting streak to four games… Cedric Mullins, Randy Gassaway, and Guillermo Salas all recorded multi-hit games.