Minor league notes on Reyes, Miranda, Berry and more, plus playoff updates

The Orioles' Triple-A Norfolk affiliate beat Charlotte 6-3 last night and is closing in on a division title. At 76-61, the Tides lead the division by four games over Gwinnett with seven games left.

Norfolk hosts Gwinnett in a doubleheader today and if the Tides were to sweep the doubleheader and have Charlotte lose at Durham, Norfolk would clinch the South Division of the International League and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

Norfolk's Christian Walker has a 10-game hitting streak during which he's hit .324 (12-for-37) with two home runs and nine RBIs. Since the All-Star break, the 24-year-old Walker leads the IL in home runs (11) and is tied with Gwinnett's Cedric Hunter for the league lead in RBIs (40).

Double-A Bowie's win Monday clinched an Eastern League playoff berth for the 76-59 Baysox. Their magic number to win the division title for the first time since 2008 is at three. Joe Gunkel (9-5, 2.96 ERA) pitches for Bowie at home tonight against Altoona.

Short-season Single-A Aberdeen is involved in a wild three-team chase for a division title in the New York-Penn League. Hudson Valley and Staten Island are tied for first at 36-33 with Aberdeen a half-game back at 36-34 after a win last night. Aberdeen trailed Vermont by four runs in the sixth Tuesday night, but scored eight runs in its final three at-bats to post an 8-4 victory. The IronBirds have six games left, including three to end the regular season at Hudson Valley starting Saturday.

Single-A Delmarva third baseman Jomar Reyes suffered a mild concussion Friday night when he was hit by a ground ball. Per Major League Baseball protocol, he has to go through some testing. If he gets cleared, he could possibly play again for the Shorebirds before the season ends Sept. 7. If not, he will take part in the Orioles' instructional league workouts.

The 18-year-old Reyes also missed some time this season with a sprained right thumb. Ranked as the Orioles' No. 10 prospect by Baseball America, he has had a solid season, batting .278 with 27 doubles, four triples, five homers, 44 RBIs and with a .774 OPS over 84 games at Delmarva. Reyes has batted .347 with an OPS of 1.043 against left-handed pitching.

Reyes' teammate, left-hander Brian Gonzalez, recently went on the DL, but there is no injury. He was simply shut down with some arm fatigue after his first full pro season. The 19-year-old, drafted in round three in 2014, went 4-9 with a 5.71 ERA for Delmarva and he will report to instructional league later this month.

Catcher Austin Wynns recently went on the Single-A Frederick DL with a sprained ankle and is day-to-day. A very strong defensive catcher, Wynns hit .274 with three homers and 28 RBIs in 74 games with Frederick. He went 6-for-16 (.375) in four games with Bowie.

Cuban left-hander Ariel Miranda went on the disabled list yesterday, retroactive to Monday, with left shoulder inflammation. But Miranda could return for Bowie for the Eastern League playoffs. He is also close to what the Orioles had set for his innings limit for this year. He's gone 6-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 14 starts and 70 innings between Frederick and Bowie.

Left-hander Tim Berry, who is on the Orioles' 40-man roster, recently underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. He has been on Bowie's DL since Aug. 7. The surgery ended a tough year for the 24-year-old lefty, who went 2-7 with a 7.32 ERA in 23 games for the Baysox. He is expected to be 100 percent for spring training.

By the way. while some attention has been focused on the O's farm teams chasing the playoffs, Delmarva has won 13 of its last 18 games to climb four games over .500 at 68-64. With 68 victories, the Shorebirds have surpassed their win total from 2014 with six games remaining. This is already their most wins since 2008, and they only need two more victories to clinch their first winning record since 2008.

The Orioles' instructional league will run from Sept. 16-Oct. 13 in Sarasota, Fla.