The Orioles High-A affiliate, the Aberdeen IronBirds, matched up this past week with the Hudson Valley Remegades, the High-A affiliate for the rival New York Yankees.
The IronBirds dropped this series four games to two. However, all four losses came by a single run.
On the offensive side, it has been a barrage so far for catcher Creed Willems, and this series was no different.
In all six games played this series, Willems went 5-for-20 with his fifth home run already on the season. His other four hits were all doubles. This brings the young catcher’s OPS to 1.137 in 43 at-bats so far.
If you have not seen Willems play in Aberdeen and are able to, do it. He will not be here for much longer with these kinds of numbers, as a promotion to Double-A Bowie is imminent.
This was one of those series for Enrique Bradfield Jr. where he shows how dangerous he is all-around. In 16 at-bats, Bradfield Jr. netted just three hits, one single and two doubles. However, he attempted five steals in this series and was safe all five times.
On top of that, he scored four runs himself. That brings Bradfield Jr. up to nine steals in just 13 games on the young season.
Matthew Etzel and Max Horvath showed off at the plate as well, recording five and four hits for the series, respectively. Etzel has been somewhat underrated in the eyes of a lot of Oriole fans, and a series like this one shows why that’s bonkers.
Although the strikeouts come at a high level, seven for this series, so does everything else. He netted three RBIs to go along with his five hits, including a triple. He also walked three times.
Horvath is another who is extremely talented but has fallen under the radar a bit. The University of North Carolina product recorded a home run and two doubles as a part of his four hits, which was combined with seven (yes, seven) walks in five games played. He also scored three runs and knocked in five.
The pitching staff as a whole has really held their own so far for About, and this series was no different.
Teddy Sharkey and Carter Baulmer recorded the two IronBird wins, with Sharkey going 4.2 innings of no-hit ball between his two outings this series.
Moisés Chace finally hit some speed bumps in his start on Saturday. In three innings, Chace allowed a staggering six walks, which somehow only turned into three runs. The 20-year-old added another six strikeouts, bringing his season total to a whopping 19 in 11 innings.
Juan De Los Santos had himself a nice bounce-back series after getting hit hard in his previous two outings. In three innings of work over two appearances, De Los Santos didn’t give up a hit or a run. His 2.1-inning hitless appearance on Thursday is also his season-long by 1.1 innings.
Without further ado, here are your final scores from this week:
Game 1: ABD 2, HV 3
Game 2: ABD 4, HV 5
Game 3: ABD 7, HV 8
Game 4: ABD 6, HV 2
Game 5: ABD 3, HV 4
Game 6: ABD 6, HV 3
The IronBirds’ next action comes against the Jershey Shore BlueClaws, the High-A affiliate for the Philadelphia Phillies. This series will be played at Leidos Field in Aberdeen and begins Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. EST.
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 (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Represent The Baltimore Battery and show off your fandom with our official merchandise! Reasonably-priced attire made just for you! Visit our official shop site by clicking here!
Like Justin’s content? Follow him on X – @orioles4life96
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment