So far, the first half of the season has gone as well as it can for the Aberdeen IronBirds.
They have opened a nine-game lead in their division, have the best record in the league and are 20 games above .500.
Aberdeen recently took on the Brooklyn Cyclones over a seven-game series, winning five of the games.
One of the stand-outs of the series was Orioles No. 11 prospect, Connor Norby. Norby collected seven hits (7-for-23 for a .304 BA) during the series, including two home runs.
Though the IronBirds lost the last game of the series, Norby showed off for the team. Batting leadoff, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, run and a base on balls. He would also collect his sixth stolen base on the year.
On the season, Norby is now batting .263 and raised his season home run total to seven. He has 16 RBIs to go with 21 runs scored and six stolen bases.
Colton Cowser made some noise this past week to the tune of a .364 average (8-for-22) across the series. He raised his season average .11 points over six games during the series.
In Thursday’s 6-1 victory over the Cyclones, Cowser would go 3-for-3 at the plate with two walks, scoring four runs. He would collect two doubles on the afternoon, raising his season total to 14.
On the year, the Orioles No. 4 prospect is now hitting .246 with 16 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Cowser now has 15 doubles, three triples and two home runs on the year with a .390 OBP.
Orioles No. 30 prospect, Jean Pinto, had a statement game during this past series. After being promoted to Aberdeen, Pinto has struggled to find his footing.
So far for the month of June, Pinto has a 1-1 record and a 1.29 ERA, showing he is settling in at the High-A level.
In Thursday’s victory, Pinto would enter in relief and pitch four innings of 1-hit ball. He would strike out seven batters while yielding a walk.
What was impressive about Pinto’s outing is he through 58 pitches, 40 of them going for strikes. For the season, Pinto is now 2-3 across 10 games with a 5.25 ERA. He has struck out 47 across 36 innings of work.
Carlos Tavera graces the headlines again, as he was named the SAL Pitcher of the Week. The Orioles’ pipeline keeps racking up awards, showcasing why it is the top farm system in baseball. And Tavera would put on a lockdown performance, as he would lead Aberdeen to a 1-0 victory on Wednesday.
In the game, Tavera would pitch six innings, allowing just one hit. Though he walked two, he would strike out eight in route to the victory. He threw 87 pitches, with 53 landing as strikes.
Tavera is now 2-2 with 3.73 ERA and has struck out 53 across 41 innings of work, while posting a 1.12 WHIP and holding opponents to a .188 batting average.
Aberdeen will welcome the Jersey Shore BlueClaws to town and start off Tuesday with the completion of a suspended game from May 1, 2022. Head out to Ripken Stadium and cheer our team to victory in this rare seven-game series.
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