It was a split decision for the Orioles' minor league affiliates on Friday, with two teams celebrating victories and two others left to regroup. Here's how the action unfolded across the system.
In Triple-A, the Norfolk Tides edged out the Nashville Sounds 6-5 in a game that featured some patchwork pitching and plenty of offensive fireworks. With scheduled starter Trey Gibson reshuffled to potentially join the big league club, the Tides turned to Christian Herberholz, who battled through 4.1 innings. Despite allowing eight hits, Herberholz benefited from some early run support—Creed Willems launched a two-run homer off rehabbing major leaguer Quinn Priester in the first inning to stake Norfolk to a 3-0 lead. Willems finished with a pair of hits, while Jud Fabian added two hits, two walks, and two stolen bases. Even Peyton Eeles, the undersized infielder, chipped in with three hits and a walk. All three are currently OPSing above .800, a promising sign for the Orioles' prospect pipeline.
The game wasn't without its warts, though. Norfolk left 11 runners on base, and a missed catch error by Willems at first base led to two unearned runs for Nashville in the bottom of the first. But Christian Encarnacion-Strand—also OPSing over .800—provided the decisive blow with a fourth-inning homer, and the Tides held on for the win.
Down in Double-A, the Bowie Baysox had a tougher go of it, falling to the Erie SeaWolves 9-4. Starting pitcher Juaron Watts-Brown—your humble narrator's honorary hyphenated cousin—struggled mightily in his first start at the proper level after beginning the season on an injury rehab assignment. He was tagged for six runs on three home runs over just four innings, putting the Baysox in an early hole they couldn't climb out of. Bowie managed just four hits on the night, but infielder Griff O'Ferrall provided a bright spot with a two-run homer in the ninth inning—his second of the season—to cut the deficit to five. Erie, however, kept their closer in the bullpen, and the comeback fell short.
Other notes from the farm: Brandon Butterworth (not actually a syrup heir, despite the name) went hitless out of the leadoff spot, while Ethan Anderson also failed to reach base. Aron Estrada and Anderson De Los Santos each collected a hit, with De Los Santos continuing to rake—he's still OPSing over 1.000 on the young season.