The Aberdeen IronBirds welcomed the Jersey Shore Blue Claws this week, as well as Orioles top prospect, Adley Rutschman, and O’s No. 5 prospect, D.L. Hall.
The Blue Claws were probably elated to leave Aberdeen after Sunday’s game was suspended until June 14, when the IronBirds go to Shore Park. The game will be picked up in the fourth inning with Aberdeen leading, 2-1.
Aberdeen had won the previous five games of the series, the closest being a 6-4 victory Saturday. The IronBirds flexed their muscles this series and improved to 15-5, the best record in the South Atlantic League.
One of the brightest stand-outs this week just happened to be No. 1 prospect, Adley Rutschman. Starting a rehab assignment after returning from a triceps strain, Rutschman went right to work showing why he is the top prospect in the O’s organization.
In his second at-bat, Rutschman would pick up his first hit of the season, collecting a double. He would collect a walk in his next at-bat before being replaced.
Though Rutschman would go 6-for-13 for the series, his best game came April 30, a 6-4 victory. Adley would go 4-for-5 and pick up two more doubles to help lead his team to victory.
It has been announced that Rutschman will be moving up to Bowie, completing his time in Aberdeen.
With all the hype surrounding Rutschman this week, it was Coby Mayo who actually made the most noise this week.
Taking advantage of Rutschman being in the lineup, Mayo would seize the spotlight by homering in three straight games, collecting 10 RBIs and batting .333 for the series.
Mayo’s best game was during the IronBirds’ 10-2 victory Tuesday. He would collect three hits, including two home runs on the night and four RBIs.
Coming into the series, Mayo was batting .232 but has raised that average to .260 on the season. He now has six home runs and has collected 20 RBIs, which leads the team. Mayo also has a team-leading 16 runs scored after collecting six more this series.
Collin Burns had a strong week for Aberdeen, playing in four of the five games and going 5-for-12 (.417), while stealing four bases on the series.
In Wednesday’s 10-1 victory, Burns would go 2-for-3 at the plate, collecting an RBI and a run while walking once. He turned two of his three trips on-base into stolen bases to bring his season total to six.
Of course, the other high profile prospect making his season debut was O’s No. 5 prospect D.L. Hall. The young lefty would pitch in Friday’s win and prove to everyone the flame thrower is back.
Hall would pitch four innings in his debut, collecting six strikeouts and giving up just two hits. One stat that stood out was on balls where contact was made, four were ground balls, one resulting in a double play, with no fly outs at all. Hall will move up to Bowie next week with Rutschman on his progression towards Baltimore.
In the game Hall would pitch, Connor Gillispie would pick up the victory with a strong relief showing. Pitching five innings behind Hall, Gillispie would strike out seven batters, allowing one run on two hits. It was a strong one-two punch that would help lead the IronBirds to a 6-1 victory.
Rico Garcia makes our highlights of the week after making his season debut this week. Working in relief in the IronBirds’ 10-1 victory Wednesday, Garcia made his appearance one to remember.
He would pitch two innings, throwing 26 pitches, 21 of them went for strikes. He would surrender one hit, but all six outs he recorded came via the strikeout. A promsing start to his Aberdeen career, Garcia’s season line is two innings, six strikeouts and a 0.50 WHIP.
The IronBirds will resume play Tuesday, when the Brooklyn Cyclones come to town. Come out and cheer our future on and see who will be the stand-outs next week.
Who stood out to you most this week in Aberdeen? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter! And, make sure to use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content to show your Birdland swag!
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