Bowie has turned their season around, winning not only their second series in a row, but they are now three for their last four in series. This week, the Richmond Flying Squirrels were Bowie’s latets victim.
While the bats are not as hot as they would like to be, the pitching from starters and two walk-offs from Coby Mayo and Jeremy Rosa really helped put this team into high gear.
Bowie technically went 4-3 this week, as they played a doubleheader on Wednesday. In the series, they slashed .250/.333.438 with a .771 OPS and had 52 total hits, nine doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 25 RBIs with 27 runs.
Bowie also went 75% on stolen bases. The pitching carried a 4.20 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, but it was four players who really stood out in the series.
PETER VAN LOON – RHP
There’s nothing like talking about a good friend of the website. Peter Van Loon’s 2023 season has not been the greatest; he’d be the first to tell you that. But despite the rocky start, he did grab his first career Double-A win on the mound. PVL went four innings, gave up one hit, zero runs and one walk while striking out seven.
The seven strikeouts are a season-high, and this was the third time that PVL has shut out an opponent during an appearance, the second time against Richmond. The 24-year-old righty continues his season with a 5.96 ERA in 25.2 innings with 37 strikeouts.
BILLY COOK – OF
Billy Cook has quietly started to put together a solid season at the plate. The Pepperdine alumni and 2021 draft pick is starting to break out in the month of June.
In seven games, Cook slashed .500/.385/.944 with a 1.329 OPS in 25 at-bats. He had nine total hits, two doubles, two home runs, five RBIs and went 4-for-4 in stolen bases.
Cook has put together a .304 average in the month of June and is currently 6-for-6 in stolen bases for the month. While his season does have a .237 average and an OPS just above .700, Cook might be someone to watch out for during the second half of the minor league season.
COBY MAYO – INF
The last time Coby Mayo wasn’t on base was May 12, 2023. It has currently been 32 straight games that Mayo has been on base in a Baysox game. While that has been impressive, the series he put together this past week was maybe even more so.
In seven games, Mayo slashed .435/.536/.1000 with a 1.536 OPS in 23 at-bats. He had 10 total hits, two doubles, one triple and three home runs with eight RBIs. Mayo has already put together a season where he has a .295 average, has hit 11 home runs and has a .979 OPS in just 60 games.
CADE POVICH – LHP
Earlier in the season, in a different article, I labeled Cade Povich as a possible ace in the making. The more I watch him pitch, the more I stand by that comment. Povich put together a career game on the mound, and it solidifies that the Orioles did indeed win the Jorge López trade.
Povich started one game and went almost seven perfect innings on the mound. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out a career-high 13 batters. Being completely honest, Povich’s season has been rocky at times, as he currently has a 4.83 ERA in 12 games started, 54 innings pitched.
The kid still has the stuff to be disgusting on the mound. He should be receiving his third Eastern League Pitcher of the Week award of the season with his dominating outing this week.
TRANSACTIONS
While in the process of constructing this article, the Orioles announced a set of minor league transactions. Yes, this Bowie roster just got younger and way more fun to watch.
- Heading to Norfolk from Bowie: César Prieto, Justin Armbruester, Wandisson Charles
- Heading to Bowie from Aberdeen: Alex Pham, Jud Fabian, Keegan Gillies, Jean Pinto
These transactions open up a lot for Bowie, especially with their normal idea of how they like to construct their starting rotation. Young pitchers like Pham and Pinto are solid starters, and Gillies has been lights out in the bullpen. Fabian brings a combination of plus speed and a hot bat to the team as well.
Bowie will begin their six-game series against the Somerset Patriots on Tuesday after two days off. With these new additions and hot streaks, the Baysox are a must-watch team.
Who stood out to you for Bowie 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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