The Aberdeen IronBirds had been flying high in the second half. Going into their series with the BlueClaws, they were just a half game back of first, had not lost a series in seven straight and were playing balanced ball.
Enter those Jersey Shore BlueClaws, and things changed quickly. Though the IronBirds won the first game of the series, they would drop the last five, all scoring three runs or less.
Though the IronBirds remained in second place, they fell to 2.5 games out of first.
Lets take a look at who stood out in the series.
DYLAN BEAVERS – OF
It’s hard to keep Beavers from being a repeat standout. The Orioles’ No. 10 prospect went 7-for-15 (.467 avg) with five walks for the series.
Beavers’ standout game could have been game two of Wednesday’s doubleheader when he walked three times, but his biggest game was Sunday’s 4-1 IronBirds’ loss.
For the game, Beavers would go 3-for-4, as he collected almost half the team’s hits and scored the team’s lone run. Beavers would finish July slashing .397/.494/.691 with four home runs and 18 RBIs.
For the season, Beavers is slashing .270/.367/.459 with nine home runs and 48 RBIs across 84 games. He has 50 walks and 20 stolen bases, with 44.5% of his hits going for extra bases.
KYLE VIRBITSKY – RHP
Virbitsky continues to develop into the pitcher O’s GM Mike Elias envisioned when he traded former prospect Darell Hernaiz to the Athletics for Virbitsky and Cole Irvin.
Under the radar, Virbitsky keeps improving in his journey with the Orioles. With the IronBirds, he has been one of the more consistent pitchers.
In the IronBirds’ 4-1 loss on July 30, Virbitsky would enter and pitch four innings of no-hit ball. He walked three and struck out three, but he was able to stop the bleeding and keep the Blue Claws from building the lead.
Virbitsky is 3-1 through 18 games this season. He has amassed 71 strikeouts in 71.2 innings while holding opponents to a career-low .221 batting average. His ERA is 4.48, and his WHIP stands at 1.22.
In July, Virbitsky pitched five games (three starts), going 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA. Across 22.2 innings, Virbitsky has 17 strikeouts and held opponents to a .202 batting average with a 1.06 WHIP.
The IronBirds are off Monday before they welcome the Hickory Crawdads. Will the IronBirds take flight again and get back on track, or will the Crawdads keep Aberdeen grounded?
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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