Heston Kjerstad did his part, but the rest of the Norfolk offense never found a way to cash him in, and the Triple-A Tides were blanked 7-0 by Nashville on 8/21.
Kjerstad reached base in all four of his plate appearances, highlighted by a triple and a walk, but Norfolk left him stranded each time. Bryan Ramos and José Barrero chipped in the only other hits for the Tides, both singles, in a night where the lineup never built any real traction.
On the mound, Juaron Watts-Brown had a rough one for Norfolk. The former Blue Jays prospect couldn’t get through three innings, giving up a two-run homer in the first before things fell apart again in the third.
He threw 73 pitches and only 38 of them were strikes. The bullpen gave the Tides some better work, with Yaqui Rivera covering 2.1 scoreless innings, Nick Raquet adding two shutout frames, and Yaramil Hiraldo finishing the ninth without allowing a run.
At Double-A, Anthony Eyanson turned in another strong outing, but Chesapeake still came up short in a 2-0 loss to Richmond. Eyanson went seven innings and kept the Flying Squirrels off the board until they finally cracked through with a broken-bat RBI single in the sixth. His line was sharp: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 0 BB.
The Baysox just couldn’t solve Richmond starter Yunior Marte, who matched Eyanson with six scoreless innings. Marte is San Francisco’s 25th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and he ended up taking the win in what was a tough way for Eyanson to suffer his first Double-A loss.
Chesapeake had a small opening in the ninth when Anderson De Los Santos singled to put the tying run on base, but that was as far as the threat went. Wehiwa Aloy pinch hit and grounded out to close it out. Thomas Sosa was the only Baysox hitter with more than one hit, finishing 2-for-4 with a double.
At High-A, Frederick’s game with Wilmington was postponed because of “Wet Grounds.” The matchup will be made up today as part of a doubleheader.
Low-A brought a different kind of trouble for Delmarva, as Hickory rolled to a 7-4 win. Harrison Kreiling opened with 3.1 scoreless innings, but Connor Gehr couldn’t hold it together in bulk relief and was tagged for seven runs, six earned, across 3.2 innings. Hickory did most of its damage with the long ball, blasting three home runs.
For Delmarva, Ty Head launched a solo homer from the leadoff spot and finished 1-for-3 with a walk. Eric Booth Jr. singled and added a sacrifice fly in the eighth, while Jemone Nuel and Adriander Mejía each doubled. Jaide Lo Re also worked a walk in four plate appearances.
Friday’s Games
In Other News...
Gunnar Henderson Has Become A Worrying Sign For The Orioles
Gunnar Henderson has been one of the faces of the Orioles young core, so any hint of regression lands with extra weight in Baltimore. MLB Network analyst Dan ODowd recently raised alarms about Hendersons direction, pointing to a decline in both his hitting and defense since the 2025 All-Star break and framing it as more than a temporary slump. For a team built around internal development, concerns like that naturally spill beyond one player and into the broader question of how the Orioles are shaping their talent.
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
Gunnar Hendersons recent slide had become one of the quieter concerns around Camden Yards, especially for a lineup that leans on him to help set the tone. So the sight of Pete Alonso spending time with Henderson in practice, working through batting mechanics and zeroing in on lower-half posture and hip stability, offered a different kind of development for Orioles fans to track. It is the sort of behind-the-scenes tweak that can matter as much as any box score, particularly when a young hitter is trying to regain the timing that made him one of the clubs most important bats.
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 🡒]