It was another week for the Aberdeen IronBirds that saw a series loss off the back of multiple close contests with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.
The IronBirds mustered out wins in games one and six while dropping games two through five by a combined seven runs. There was the usual production from the same suspects both offensively and pitching-wise, but it wasn’t enough for a series win.
First off, Enrique Bradfield Jr. continues to look fully healthy at the plate. EBJ hit safely five times, three of which were triples. He also stole three bases along with his 20 at-bats.
Again, like usual, Matthew Etzel continues to be the most underrated position player prospect in the Orioles’ system. Etzel added another six hits in 19 at-bats, with his third home run on the year. His four RBIs set his season total at 21, with an above .300 average.
Since being drafted last June, Etzel has an even .900 OPS, collectively, with 41 steals to go along with a .310 average. This kid is the real deal, and he is really showing it every single week.
To follow the trend of underrated IronBirds, Elio Prado again had a week to remember. Prado netted five hits with three walks, including a home run.
No IronBirds recap would be right without showing some love to Creed Willems, who continues to show his power over and over again. This series saw his ninth home run, bringing his season OPS to .910.
Once again, the pitching was pretty solid all around for Aberdeen. Only one arm allowed more than three runs during this series.
Juan Nuñez tossed another great start this week, as he struck out nine over 4.2 innings with just one run allowed. Maybe the most underrated part of the Jorge López trade with Minnesota, Nuñez continues to be really impressive.
Once again, Moisés Chace did what Moisés Chace does. In just one appearance, Chace struck out six batters in four innings of work and only allowed two hits. Another scoreless outing brings his season ERA to an incredible 0.91 in 29.2 innings, with 42 strikeouts to his name.
Deivy Cruz, Yaqui Rivera and Luis Sánchez looked good in one scoreless inning each, with no runs allowed by either three.
Overall, it was a tough week in terms of the record. Here are the final scores from each game:
Game 1: ABD 6, WIL 2
Game 2: ABD 2, WIL 3
Game 3: ABD 0, WIL 3
Game 4: ABD 4, WIL 6
Game 5: ABD 3, WIL 4
Game 6: ABD 5, WIL 2
The IronBirds return to action this Tuesday against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The series kicks off at 7:05 p.m. EST, as our very own Jason Benowitz joins Aberdeen play-by-play broadcaster Michael Marcantonini as the special guest broadcaster for the game.
Who stood 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!
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