The IronBirds had a chance to creep over the .500 mark this week, as they welcomed the BlueClaws to town. Unfortunately, things went a bit differently, and they fell to 20-24 after dropping a rare seven-game series, 2-5.
The good news is that outside of the first game, each game they lost was decided by three runs or less, as the pitching and defense have improved. Outside of some timely hitting, this could have been a different series for the young Birds.
Let’s see who the standouts were in this tough series this past week:
JUD FABIAN – OF
Fabian came into the series riding a seven-game hitting streak, and though it ended at 12 games, he was still strong this series.
For the series, Fabian would collect seven total hits while batting .350. His best game came in Wednesday’s 12-10 loss, when he would go 2-for-2 at the plate. Fabian would collect two doubles and three RBIs while also picking up two walks on the day.
For the season, Fabian is now slashing .265/.370/.426 while hitting five home runs and collecting 26 RBIs across 39 games. He also has scored 22 runs, collected seven doubles and stolen 12 bases. His strikeout to walks is at 38:26 as he is developing a keen sense of the strike zone.
KYLE VIRBITSKY – RHP
Many people might now recognize the name, but some remember him as part of the trade that sent Darell Hernaiz to the Oakland Athletics.
Virtbisky has had some time adjusting to the High-A level. He now has pitched 22 games in High-A after pitching in 16 games in Low-A to start his career.
This week, Virtbisky entered Thursday’s games with the IronBirds down 5-1. Though they would eventually lose, 5-2, Virtbisky had another strong performance.
He would pitch four innings, allowing just three hits, no runs, one walk and striking out four. His last two outings almost mirror each other in the stats department, and he has dropped his ERA 3.55 points over that time.
For the season, Virtbisky is now 1-1 across eight games (two starts) with an 8.03 ERA. Though his WHIP is at 1.74, it tends to be going downward. He has pitched 24.2 innings of work, collecting 29 strikeouts as well as picking up one hold.
JEAN PINTO – RHP
Pinto comes in this week, having one of the strongest performances of the pitching staff. The young and gifted right-hander appears to be turning the corner and rounding into the type of pitcher the Birds envisioned when trading for him in 2020.
Pinto had his most dominating outing of the season in the IronBirds’ 6-1 victory on Friday. The young righty tossed 67 pitches (45 strikes) across five innings of work. He would allow no runs, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out eight of the 16 batters he faced to earn the win.
Pinto improves to 1-1 across nine games (nine starts) on the year. He has a 2.58 ERA, as well as a 1.17 WHIP, and has pitched 38.1 innings while striking out 59 batters. He has walked only 14, and opponents are hitting .218 against Pinto on the year.
https://twitter.com/CoachBerto12/status/1662306640358522881?t=rsEjClLJANPMFm4PnNolJQ&s=19
The IronBirds (20-24) will head to Wappingers Falls to take on the Hudson Valley Renegades (27-18) starting Tuesday. Aberdeen will have a chance to close some ground on the Renegades, as they are the top team in the division and league.
Who stood out to you for Aberdeen this week? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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