Orioles minor league recap 4/29: Tuft finishes just short of cylce in Baysox win

High-A: Frederick Keys 6, Brooklyn Cyclones 2

Catcher Colin Tuft collected three hits and four RBIs to propel the Keys to a series-opening win over the Cyclones. Nate George got the first Keys’ run on the board in the 3rd, launching a sac fly to center that scored Ryan Stafford and knotted the game at 1-1. Tuft would then put the exclamation point on a rally started by Ike Irish in the 5th. Irish led off the inning with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Victor Figueroa then singled to drive home Irish and give Frederick a 2-1 lead. After Braylin Tavera walked to put runners at second and third, Tuft jumped on a pitch from reliever Garrett Stratton, blasting it over the left field fence for a three-run homer. The blast put the game out of reach for the Cyclones, but Tuft would add an insurance run in the 7th. Figueroa led off the inning with a double to immediately give the Keys a runner in scoring position. Then, with two outs, Tuft inside-outed a ball down the right field line for an RBI triple that put Tuft a double shy of the cycle. While Tuft stole the show by driving home four of the Keys’ six runs, Irish and Figueroa also starred Tuesday. After going 3-for-4 with two singles and a double, Irish is now hitting .344 with a 1.010 OPS for the Keys and is surely pushing for a promotion to the Baysox. Figueroa, the Orioles’ 18th-round pick from the 2024 draft, is hitting .387 with a 1.223 OPS after going 3-for-5 with a pair of singles and a double. On the mound, Frederick also got a strong performance from last year’s second-round pick Joseph Dzierwa. The lanky lefty out of Michigan State pitched four innings, only allowed two hits and one run, while punching out three Cyclones. Box Score

Low-A: Hill City Howlers 17, Delmarva Shorebirds 1

The Shorebirds were down 7-0 after the 2nd inning, and things only got worse from there in a lopsided loss to the Howlers. Delmarva starter Denton Biller only got one out before surrendering five runs, digging the Shorebirds into a hole they couldn’t come close to escaping. Command was the biggest issue for the Delmarva pitching staff, as the Howlers benefited from 13 walks and four wild pitches. Those free passes and errant pitches helped the Howlers put up 17 runs despite no homers and only three of their 15 hits going for extra bases. The only Delmarva pitcher who was the least bit effective Tuesday was 24-year-old right-hander Dalton Nueschwander. The 10th round pick from last year’s draft put up a line of 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB and 3 K while getting the Shorebirds through the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th relatively unscathed. Neuschwander was one of only two Delmarva pitchers who allowed fewer runs than innings pitched. The Shorebirds’ one consolation run came in the bottom of the 9th. Stiven Martinez led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on defensive indifference. After the Howlers walked the bases loaded, Juan Ortega worked a two-out walk to break up the shutout. One batter later, Junior Aybar flew out to seal the demoralizing loss. Box Score

Wednesday’s scheduled games

Norfolk Tides at Memphis Sounds, 7:35pm ET (Levi Wells vs. TBD) Chesapeake Baysox at Erie Seawolves, 6:05pm ET (Luis De León vs. Carlos Peña) Frederick Keys at Brooklyn Cyclones, 4:00pm ET (JT Quinn vs. Joel Díaz) Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Hill City Howlers, 7:05pm ET (Brayan Orrantia vs. Nelson Keljo)