It was one of those nights on the farm where the box scores told a mixed story, and mostly not a pretty one. Norfolk split a doubleheader, Chesapeake got a strong start buried by a lopsided final line, Frederick’s offense showed up but the pitching didn’t hold, and Delmarva piled up plenty of traffic on the bases only to watch the game slip away late. The one clear bright spot came from Juaron Warrs-Brown, who kept giving Chesapeake a chance even as the scoreboard tilted the other way.
At Triple-A, the Norfolk Tides were on both ends of the spectrum against Syracuse. In the opener, Cade Povich had a rough outing, walking four over 3.1 innings and allowing seven runs on six hits with two strikeouts.
Cameron Weston finished the fourth, but not before two inherited runners crossed and he gave up two more runs of his own. Yaramil Hiraldo and Andrew Magno then combined for three scoreless innings to close it out.
Norfolk managed only four hits and four walks, with Bryan Ramos’ RBI double in the seventh serving as the lone extra-base hit. Jonathan Rodriguez and Heston Kjerstad each had a hit and an RBI, Luis Vázquez scored twice, and Enrique Bradfield Jr. finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
The second game looked much cleaner on the mound. Norfolk held Syracuse to two hits and two runs, and both of those runs came in the first inning.
Chris Kachmar allowed the damage over three innings, then Yaqui Rivera delivered 2.2 scoreless, hitless frames. Jose Espada picked up the win by finishing the game with 1.1 shutout innings.
Offensively, the Tides only had two at-bats with runners in scoring position, but they made them count: Jud Fabian drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the first, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand followed with a two-RBI double in the sixth. Bradfield also chipped in with a single, a triple, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
Chesapeake’s 8-2 loss to Akron had a much uglier final score than the pitching line from Warrs-Brown would suggest. The starter worked five innings and gave up one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight.
That marked his fourth straight start of at least five innings with three or fewer runs allowed, even though his Double-A ERA still sits at 6.24. The rest of the staff had a tougher time.
Zane Barnhart was charged with four runs in an inning, and Keagan Gillies allowed three runs in 0.2 innings. Tyson Neighbors came in and got the final four outs without much trouble.
Adam Retzbach had two of Chesapeake’s five hits, including his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth. Anderson De Los Santos drove in the other run with a first-inning single that scored Brandon Butterworth, and Griff O’Ferrall went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
High-A brought a more productive night at the plate for Frederick, but Jersey Shore still came away with a 9-5 win. Yasmil Bucce stood out for the BlueClaws, reaching base with a walk, a double, and a homer.
Ike Irish added two hits, including a double, and scored a run. Randal Diaz, recently acquired from the Nationals, picked up his 10th double of the year.
Wehiwa Aloy went 0-for-3 with two walks and two strikeouts, and Victor Figueroa finished 0-for-2 with an RBI. On the mound, Yeiber Cartaya started and lasted 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.
Bradley Brehmer was the most effective of Frederick’s six pitchers, throwing two scoreless innings, while Braeden Sloan, who has a 1.71 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 31.2 innings, gave up two runs in his lone inning.
Delmarva’s 9-8 loss to Kannapolis was the kind of game where the offense did enough to win and the defense made sure it didn’t. The Shorebirds collected 12 hits and four walks, with Jordan Sanchez and Elvin Garcia both homering.
Adriander Mejía doubled twice, walked, and scored, Raylin Ramos had three hits with two RBI and two runs scored, and DJ Layton went 1-for-4 with two RBI. But the pitching staff never got much help behind it, as Delmarva committed five errors and three of the nine runs allowed were unearned.
Andrew Herbert started and gave up three earned runs on six hits and two walks over five innings while striking out four. Eccel Correa worked two innings and allowed one earned run with three strikeouts, and Kailen Hamson surrendered two runs on four hits and two walks without recording a strikeout.
In Other News...
Dodgers Trade Proposal Puts Orioles In A Tough Spot With Lefty
The Orioles keep getting pulled into the pitching market chatter, and Trevor Rogers is the kind of arm that naturally draws it. He has been uneven enough over the full season to leave plenty of questions, but his recent stretch has also reminded teams why left-handed starters with upside still carry real appeal in July. For Baltimore, that creates the familiar tension of weighing short-term value against the kind of trade interest that can reshape a deadline conversation.
What makes the situation trickier is the timing. Rogers would come with no long-term control, so any deal has to be judged against the price of the return, not just the name value on the other side. The Dodgers are still shopping for pitching help and have bigger targets they could chase, which only adds to the sense that Baltimore could be asked to part with a useful arm without getting the kind of package that makes a move easy to justify. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Fans May Never Forget This Missed Chance At An Ace
The Orioles were in position at the 2024 trade deadline to chase the kind of frontline starter every contender covets, and Tarik Skubal was sitting right there as the obvious prize. Detroit never completed a deal, Baltimore never got its ace, and the missed window has only grown more frustrating as the pitching market keeps reminding teams how rare those chances are.
MLB Network Insider Jon Morosi has framed it as the kind of opportunity Baltimore may not get back, especially with Skubals name already surfacing again as the 2025 deadline draws closer. For an Orioles club that has spent the last year trying to balance present urgency with future value, the lingering question is whether the front office will be willing to pay the price this time around. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Mountcastle Just Became An Orioles Deadline Tension Point
Ryan Mountcastle is still working back from the 60-day injured list, and the Orioles at least have some clarity on the broad outline of his recovery. President of baseball operations Mike Elias said Mountcastle is progressing, with a return possible after the All-Star break, but he stopped short of putting a date on it. For a team in the middle of a rebuild, that leaves one of its more recognizable bats in a familiar holding pattern: close enough to matter, not quite close enough to know exactly where he fits.
The bigger question is what happens once he is ready. Baltimore has enough uncertainty around the roster that Mountcastles next step is not just about health, but about opportunity, and there is already a sense that the Orioles could listen if the right trade angle emerges before the Aug. 3 deadline. For now, the club is still waiting on the same thing everyone else is - a clearer picture of when he is back, and what role he would actually have when he gets there. [Read more 🡒]