Heston Kjerstad kept coming through when Norfolk needed him most Tuesday night, and the Tides turned a deficit into an 8-7 walk-off win over Memphis in the opener of their series.
Norfolk was staring at a 6-4 hole in the bottom of the seventh after Memphis had strung together six straight runs, but the inning flipped fast. Enrique Bradfield Jr. opened the push with an infield single, then moved up when Rece Hinds singled. Kjerstad followed by lining a double down the left-field line, driving in Bradfield and trimming the margin to one.
Creed Willems then sent a grounder to second, with the throw heading home. Hinds beat it to the plate, and when Memphis catcher Bo Naylor dropped the ball, Kjerstad also came around, giving Norfolk a 7-6 lead.
Memphis answered in the ninth to square things up again. Jose Espada walked the leadoff hitter, who stole second and later scored on a Naylor single through the right side.
Norfolk had one more rally left. Hinds started the bottom of the ninth with his third hit, an infield single to short.
Kjerstad followed with another single to move the winning run into scoring position, and a wild pitch advanced both runners to second and third. After Willems walked to load the bases, José Barrero stepped in.
The Tides’ 3B fell behind 0-2, but got a hold of a sinker up and in, lifting it to left for a game-winning sac fly.
At Double-A, Chesapeake leaned on Caden Hunter and a pair of big innings to beat Richmond 7-2. Hunter came in after one of his roughest outings of the season, when he allowed six earned runs over three innings, and he responded with five solid frames. He gave up a leadoff single to start the night, but then won an 11-pitch battle with the next hitter and rolled through a scoreless first.
Richmond broke through for its first run in the second on a steal of home, but Hunter kept limiting damage from there. He stranded two in the third, gave up a two-out double in the fourth before ending the inning with a strikeout, and worked around another single in the fifth to finish his night. The 22-year-old allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run over 5 innings, walking 2 and striking out 2, and his Double-A ERA dropped to 3.86.
Chesapeake matched Richmond with a run-scoring double play in the third, then broke the game open in the fourth. Dom Keegan doubled to start the rally and scored two batters later on a Griff O’Ferrall single.
With Thomas Sosa aboard at second, Vance Honeycutt singled to center for his first Double-A RBI. O’Ferrall later scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-1.
Richmond cut into that lead with a homer in the sixth, but Chesapeake shut the door in the eighth. With two outs and a runner at second, Colin Tuft singled to center to push the lead to 5-2. Then Wehiwa Aloy launched his fourth Baysox homer of the season to make it 7-2.
In High-A, Boston Bateman turned in another scoreless outing as Frederick topped Wilmington 4-1. The 20-year-old left-hander worked 3 shutout innings, his third straight scoreless appearance, and Frederick has now kept his workload capped at three innings or fewer in each of his last five outings.
Bateman worked around a one-out walk in the first, then survived a single and double in the second by getting a flyout to end the inning. In the third, he allowed two more baserunners with two outs before striking out Luke Dickerson to finish his night. He was charged with 3 hits, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.
Frederick got on the board in the third with aggressive running. Edwin Amparo drew a six-pitch walk, stole second and third, then scored when RJ Austin grounded out to short.
The Keys put it away with three runs in the fifth. Colin Yeaman walked with one out, moved to second on a ground ball and to third on a wild pitch.
Austin walked and stole second, setting up Enddy Azocar to clear the bases with a single to left. Azocar then stole second and scored on Ethan Anderson’s double, stretching the lead to 4-0.
Wilmington’s lone run came on a solo homer in the seventh.
Low-A was a different story. Delmarva jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Hickory ripped off 12 unanswered runs and left the Shorebirds with a 12-5 loss in North Carolina.
The Shorebirds struck first with two outs in the opening inning. Jaiden Lo Re singled to center, Jhonmardo Reyes singled to move him to third, and Jimmy Anderson walked to load the bases. Jemone Nuel then singled to right for two runs and a 2-0 lead.
They kept piling on in the third. Lo Re started that rally with another leadoff single, Reyes singled again, and Anderson walked to load the bases once more. Nuel was hit by a pitch for his third RBI of the game, Adriander Mejía followed with a ground-ball single to left, and Ty Head added a two-out bunt single to make it 5-0.
But Hickory answered with one run in the fourth, then blew the game open with six in the fifth. The Crawdads added a three-run homer in the sixth to go up 10-5, then tacked on two more in the seventh to finish the comeback in emphatic fashion.
Wednesday’s scheduled games include Chesapeake against Richmond at 6:35 p.m. ET, with Joseph Dzierwa set to face Trystan Vrieling, and Frederick at Wilmington in Game 1 at 5 p.m. ET, with Christian Rodriguez matched up against Tucker Biven.
In Other News...
Gunnar Henderson Has Become A Worrying Sign For The Orioles
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ODowd went a step further by suggesting the organization, under Mike Elias, may not be getting the most out of Hendersons ability. He even floated the idea that the shortstop could be traded by 2027, while also recommending changes to the developmental setup, including bringing in Bill Ripken as an infield coordinator and perhaps involving Buck Showalter in some role. Whether Baltimore takes any of that seriously is another matter, but the conversation underscores how important Henderson remains to the franchises future and how quickly expectations can shift when a cornerstone player starts to look off track. [Read more 🡒]
Gunnar Henderson Might Finally Have The Fix Orioles Fans Needed
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What makes the collaboration notable is the source of the advice, with Alonso drawing on his own experience to help Henderson sort out the issues that have made fastballs such a stubborn problem this season. Henderson has shown signs of improvement lately after the prolonged slump, but the work points to a more specific fix than a simple hot streak. For Baltimore, the appeal is obvious: if the changes hold, the Orioles might finally be getting closer to the version of Henderson they have been waiting for. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Prospect Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Fill Key Bullpen Need
Luis De Len has become one of the more interesting arms in the Orioles system this summer, and not just because of his prospect status. Baltimore is moving him into a relief role at Triple-A Norfolk, a shift that gives the organization a chance to see whether his stuff can translate quickly to a bullpen setting and possibly help fill a need later in the season.
De Len already made his first relief appearance recently, and he has impressed in both Double-A and Triple-A this year, which is why the transition is worth watching closely. Manager Craig Albernaz has been upbeat about De Lens talent and what he could bring to the club, and if the adjustment keeps going well, the Orioles may have found a candidate for the bullpen without having to look far outside the system. [Read more 🡒]