Minor League notes and probables for a September call-up
The Triple-A Norfolk Tides have had a tough season, with a record of 48-63.
But no team in the International League has scored more runs in July than Norfolk which is scoring six runs per game this month.
Also, the Tides are hitting .272 as a team, which ties for the top team batting average in the IL.
Outfielder Chris Roberson, acquired from the Phillies in January, went 0-4 Sunday to end an 8-game hitting streak. During the streak, Roberson batted .613 (19-31) with a homer and 8 RBI. Since Sunday, Roberson has gone 5-11. The switch-hitting Roberson has also had 69 Major League at bats with the Phillies. Eider Torres was hitless Sunday, ending an 11-game batting streak in which he hit .383.
Hayden Penn has put together back-to-back solid starts for Norfolk, giving up 4 ER over 14 innings.
At 64-48, Bowie has the third-best record in the Eastern League and is in second place in the Southern Division, 2 ½ games behind Akron. The Baysox, now a season-high 16 games over .500, have had solid pitching all year, and their team ERA of 3.56 is third in the league.
Baysox pitchers hold down four of the top 15 spots in the league in ERA. David Hernandez is third at 2.63; Brad Bergesen is fourth at 2.68; Jason Berken 12th at 3.49; and Chris Tillman is 15th at 3.69. Also, Hernandez is 1st in the league in strikeouts.
Lou Montanez, in his second year in the O's organization, is having a huge year for Bowie, batting .323-24-86. He could win the Eastern League triple crown. He is 1st in the league in homers and RBI and second in average. Over his last five games, he is 10-20 with 3 homers and 12 RBI.
Delmarva, of the South Atlantic League, recently swept a four-game series at Hickory behind some dominating pitching. In the series, Delmarva held Hickory hitters to an average of .148 and hurled two shutouts. The Crawdads scored a total of six runs in the four games. On the offense, Ryan Adams led the Shorebirds with six hits in the series while Matt Angle, Joe Mahoney, Joe Nowicki and Anthony Martinez each had five hits. Delmarva has now made 155 errors, the most in the league.
LHP Cole McCurry is 7-0, 1.99 at Aberdeen. He has won his last six starts. With the season at about its halfway point, McCurry's seven wins sets the Aberdeen single-season record and breaking the previous mark of six wins held by Joe Coppinger in 2003 and Jeff Moore in 2006.
Cory Doyne, who was with the Orioles briefly in 2007, has joined Aberdeen on an injury-rehab assignment and gave up five runs in just 1/3 of an inning Sunday vs. Hudson Valley. He pitched a scoreless inning on Tuesday. Aberdeen second baseman Eric Perlozzo, the son of the former Orioles manager, Sam Perlozzo, is batting .379 over his last 10 games. He's hitting .269 in 28 games this season for the IronBirds.
O's president Andy MacPhail indicated to me Sunday that Matt Wieters may not get a September callup from the O's.
"That (a callup) may be a little premature. But he sure has made great progress this year in both the Carolina League and Eastern League." If Wieters doesn't get the call it may have more to do with issues like service time than his ability.
Outfielder Nolan Reimold, who must be protected on the 40-man roster this winter, is perhaps a more likely candidate for a callup.
"Nolan is having a great year," MacPhail said. "You don't want someone to come up and sit, if they come up you have to have at bats for him, so that's a part of the equation you have to consider."
Asked if Reimold is being considered for a September call, MacPhail said "absolutely."
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