Tides vs. Braves: 8/21/12

L.J. Hoes

The Norfolk Tides completely handled the Gwinnett Braves today in Lawrenceville, GA 8-0. Since I felt an acute case of baseball fever coming on this morning, I called out sick and went to the 10:35 AM start.

The Oriole highlights came early as former Dodger farmhand RF Jamie Hoffman launched a 3-run homer that just barely cleared the left field wall and Braves LF Jose Constanza's leap to give the Tides the 3-0 lead. CF L.J. Hoes' bases loaded single drove in two more in the 4th to give Norfolk the 5-0 lead and the game was pretty much over.

SP Dana Eveland gave up only 3 hits and struck out 5 over 7 innings and the Braves mounted no real threat at all. Braves' pitching issued 9 walks and walked in the other 3 Tide runs. Again, not the most exciting game to watch.

On to the individual performances, led by Hoes. He went 1-5 with a walk and reached on a fielder's choice that should have been a hit. He scorched a ball toward right field in the 6th inning but Braves 1B Ernesto Meija reached up and got his glove on it but it was hit too hard for him to hold. Hoffman was on 1st and had to hold up for a beat ot make sure Meija didn't catch the ball. If Hoffman would not have been on base, that would have been a hit for the speedy Hoes. Hoes had good at bats, worked the count and looked poised beyond his 22 years at the plate. He is hitting .369 in August and has maintained good walk rates throughout his minor league career.

RP Brian Matusz pitched the 8th inning. He gave up no runs but was unimpressive while walking one batter and striking out none. His fastball was missing up out of the zone and his breaking stuff was missing low and outside a lot. He got out of the inning with a couple of sharply hit ground balls that his fielders turned into outs but it was not hard to imagine major league hitter turning those mistakes into hits. He got himself into bad pitcher's counts on three of the four batters he faced. He may need more work.

2B Ryan Adams looks like I've seen him before. At the plate, he looked relaxed, worked the count and put the ball into play with authority. A great looking hitter and he is hitting .300 with 5 XBHs in August. In the field, he is not smooth and he made an error in the 7th.

I've never fully understood the enthusiasm for 1B Joe Mahoney. His walk rates are poor, his hit tool is OK and the value is wrapped up in his power as he slugged over .500 over the 2010-2011 in just over 200 games split between Frederick and Bowie. But that power has disappeared in Norfolk this season (.387 SLG in 120 games) and had trouble making solid contact today and could not manage a walk on a day when the G-Braves staff was giving them out freely. He'll be 26 next year and I guess the power could return. But if it doesn't, he's not going to have much value as a prospect.

3B Brandon Waring has hit 20 or more homers in every season he has played professionally. He walked twice today but his walk rates are just decent. His power is really, really impressive. Fun to watch but hard to imagine how he can help the major league club in the future.

Norfolk Tides vs. Gwinnett Braves: 4/11/11

The Norfolk Tides (AAA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles) fell to a woeful 0-5 last night in fairly woeful fashion, losing to the Gwinnett Braves 8-3.

Things looked good for the Tides early. LHP Troy Patton took the spot of the recently recalled Brad Bergesen and held the G-Braves hitless for three innings. Nick Green had doubled in Josh Bell in the 2nd and Nolan Reimold had a solo shot to deep left in the 4th to give the Tides the 2-0 lead against RHP Jair Jurrjens who was on a rehab assignment from Atlanta.

But G-Braves CF Jordan Schaefer led off the 4th inning with a drag bunt between the pitcher and first base. Patton ran and lunged at the ball, missed it, stumbled and fell, landing on his left side. Patton remained on the ground for a full minute or two, then got to his feet and was pulled from the game. (It was later reported that Patton had a wrist injury although it looked like he had fallen on his shoulder.)

Fellow lefty Mark Hendrickson came on in relief and gave up 6 runs in his three innings including back-to-back homers in the 6th. Tides RF Tyler Henson hit a sac fly to plate SS Nick Green in the 7th. RHP Pat Egan pitched the final two frames and gave up a two-run homer in the 8th.

The Tides are now the only winless team left in the International League. They will try to get their first win tonight at Coolray Field in Gwinnett.

Some random notes:

Troy Patton: On a night when Jair Jurjens' fast ball was sitting at 92-93 on the stadium radar gun, Patton was having to really dial it up to touch 91. His fastball sat at 87-88 on the night but it was his breaking stuff and offspeed pitches that were giving Gwinnett fits last night. His changeup seemed to be the swing-and-miss pitch of the evening as he compiled 4 strikeouts and walked no one. I don't remember a well-struck ball all night. His injury looked kind of ominous, hopefully it looked worse than it was.

Mark Hendrickson: I was a big proponent of bringing Henrickson back to the Baltimore organization. I think he pitched better than he showed last year and is generally an underrated reliever. But there is nothing I saw last night that would lead me to believe that he can still pitch in the majors. His fastball was up all night, even the outs he got were loud ones and he gave up two home runs to a lineup that is not exactly an offensive powerhouse. He has a lot to work on.

Josh Bell: Bell was a mixed bag in the field. He had a couple of sharp grounders that he bobbled a little, one bobble of which allowed a runner to reach. But his arm was strong and accurate all night, something that he had issues with in Baltimore last season. At the plate, he looked extremely comfortable, even against a good major league caliber pitcher like Jurjens. Bell went 3 for 4 with a triple.

Ryan Adams: Adams did not get that many chances in the field but on a routine grounder up the middle, I saw his fielding flaws. Admas ranged deep and nearly got to the ball but it skipped under his glove and there was just no sense that he is athletic or quic enough to make the tough plays. His arm is good and makes the routine play with little effort. I see why third could be his ultimate position but there was nothing I saw to indicate his reactions are good enough for that position either. At the plate, Adams has struggled thus far but managed to draw 2 walks and also had 2 strikeouts. I like his approach and he may hit well enough to offset his defensive trouble at second.

Pat Egan: I was a little disappointed in Egan. His first inning of relief was exactly what I was expecting. A fastball that sat at 92 mph and could touch 94 and good enough breaking stuff to keep the oppostion off balance. He gave up a liner to left in the 7th but nothing else was well hit. He fielded his position beautifully twice that inning, once to start a 1-5-3 double play and another leaping stab of a chopper that looked to be over his head and heading up the middle.

His nest inning of work was another matter. I don't think he touched 91 more than once and his fastball looked very hittable. He gave up the homer and was lucky that was all that was surrendered. He may just be a one inning guy...looked like a different pitcher during that second inning. Something to keep an eye on anyway.

Nolan Reimold: Hit a homer to left off Jair Jurrjens. Would've liked to have seen him work the count a little better tonight as he went 1-4 with the homer and a strikeout looking. (The called third strike looked low...) Reimold is now hitting .250/.333/.633 on the young season and made a nice running grab on a sinking liner too.

Orioles in the Desert: Arizona Fall League 2010

Let's go Scottsdale Scorpions!

There are still some Orioles playing baseball in October and this year they are doing it for the Scorpions of Scottsdale. Unlike previous years, there are no big prospects or even many prospects that may make it to Baltimore next season but there are still some interesting players in representing the Birds in Arizona.

RHP Oliver Drake

Drake is a 23-year-old righty who pitched for Frederick this season. His stats are nothing special although his control seems good (2.6 BB/9, 7.0 K/9 in 2010) and his numbers seem to scream Brad Bergesen. Of course, being Brad Bergesen in Frederick is not exactly impressive but it will be interesting to see how he fares in an offensive environment like the AFL. I would imagine he gets shelled but maybe he learns a few things that will help him in Bowie next year.

RHP Pat Egan

The 25-year-old Egan was impressive for Bowie and unlucky in Norfolk in 2010. Egan showed impressive control and kept the ball in the park and has throughout his minor league career. The 2006 36th-round draft pick has an odd hurky-jerky motion that keeps hitters off-balance. Limiting walks and homers can lay the groundwork for success and, again, it will be interesting to see how he performs in a high-offense environment like the AFL.

RHP Kam Mickolio

Due to injury, Mickolio only threw 44 innings in a disappointing 2010. Mickolio was thought to be a potential late inning reliever before the season and he'll have to try to recapture his control and ridiculous strikeout rate to force himself back into the 2011 bullpen picture. He and Egan are probably the Scorpions most likely to pitch in Baltimore next year.

RHP Wynn Pelzer

Pelzer is the player Baltimore got back from the Padres in the Miguel Tejada trade. He walks too many batters and gives up a bunch on hits per 9. If he doesn't get knocked around too badly in Arizona, it'll be a success for him.

C Caleb Joseph

I'm very interested to see how Joseph fares in the AFL. Joseph had a disappointing season for Bowie in 2010  but is still considered a decent enough catching prospect. Will the 24-year-old get his stroke back this fall? If so, it could be a springboard to his development in his inevitable repeat of AA in 2011.

2B Ryan Adams

The 23-year-old Adams had something of a breakthrough in the power department at Bowie this year (43 doubles, 15 homers) and is certainly destined for Norfolk in 2011. Looking at the roster, Adams should play a fair amount of second and perhaps at third during his AFL stint and it will be interesting to see if the power keeps coming.

SS Greg Miclat

The diminutive, light-hitting shortstop had a bit of a career resurrection in Frederick this season but hit a roadbump in Bowie. Still just 22, the extra work could help make or break him as a prospect in 2011. The Orioles could use another legitimate shortstop prospect.

1B Tyler Townsend

Since being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2009 amateur draft, Townsend has only played in 83 during his Orioles career due to injury. He has show flashes of brilliance (.563 slugging percentage in 2010) and the Orioles could definitely use a power bat like his in the system. It's a good chance for Townsend to make up for lost time. He's only going to be 23 next year and there's no reason he can't get to Bowie and perhaps Norfolk in 2011 if he stays healthy.

CF Xavier Avery

I thought LJ Hoes would be the Frederick player to take a step forward this year (and he had a decent year) but it was the 20-year-old Avery that blossomed and advanced all the way  to AA Bowie. I don't take the hitting performances in the AFL too seriously but it would be fantastic if Avery showed well for the Scorpions. With 38 stolen bases combined in 2010, expect Avery to be testing arms in Arizona.