The Aberdeen IronBirds are truly a Baltimore Orioles farm team.
On a night the Orioles were clobbered, 13-0, in Baltimore by the Toronto Blue Jays, the IronBirds were equally inept in Aberdeen. The IronBirds made two dubious marks Wednesday evening, suffering their worst loss of the season, 16-1, to visiting Tri-City, and tied a franchise record for losses in a season with 48.
The defeat dropped Aberdeen to 22-48 on the year, which puts the IronBirds in the cellar of the New York-Penn League's McNamara Division, 11.5 games behind third-place Hudson Valley. The only other IronBirds team to lose as many games in one season prior was the 2005 squad, which finished 27-48. With four games remaining, Aberdeen must win out to avoid being the franchise's losingest team.
Aberdeen's worst defeat before Wednesday's was a 15-1 loss to Hudson Valley on July 3.
Trailing, 13-0, in the seventh, the IronBirds put together their lone scoring rally. Dudley Leonora started the outburst by reaching on an infield error, but he was forced on Austin Knight's fielder's choice. Knight's at-bat was followed by Glynn Davis' base on balls, and the next batter, Martin Serrata, moved Knight over to third on another fielder's choice. Mychal Givens came to the plate with two outs, and drove Knight home with a single to right field, making the score, 13-1.
The Valleycats scored three more runs in the top of the ninth to cap the evening's scoring.
After a scoreless first, Aberdeen starter Angel Cespedes allowed a leadoff homer in the second, then watched as Tri-City scored its second run on a fielding error and a wild pitch.
Cespedes would get through the third and fourth frames having surrendered one single, but ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing a one-out walk, sending a pickoff attempt into the crowd, and serving up an RBI double before being lifted. Through 4-1/3 innings, Cespedes (1-4) was charged with four earned runs on four hits, struck out one and walked two in the loss.
Zach Petersime came out of the bullpen to close the fifth, but Tri-City posted three singles and three runs before he could get the IronBirds out of the inning.
The Valleycats put up five more runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
Petersime lasted 2/3 of an inning, allowing five earned runs on five hits, striking out one and allowing one walk.
Matt Taylor tossed two innings of relief, surrendering four hits and three earned runs, striking out one and issuing zero walks. Jose Nivar came on when Taylor was yanked and went 1-1/3 innings in which he allowed three earned runs, two hits and three walks, while racking up three strikeouts.
Aberdeen's lone pitcher with a scoreless stint on the mound was Travis Strong, who went 2/3 of an inning, striking out one and allowing one hit.
Givens was the only IronBirds batter with multiple hits, going 3-for-4 with three singles and one RBI. Wynston Sawyer and Knight each had a base hit in the loss. Davis earned two of Aberdeen's four walks.
Sixth straight loss
The IronBirds were knocked off for the sixth straight time on Tuesday night, dropping the first contest of the three-game homestand with Tri-City, 4-1.
With the hosts down 1-0 in the third frame, the Aberdeen bats, which had not yet rendered a hit, came awake when Leonora smacked a one-out single to left. One out later Davis moved Leonora over to second with a base hit into right, and Knight followed with another single, this one driving Leonora all the way home for Aberdeen's lone run. Unfortunately for Aberdeen, the lineup would go hitless for the balance of the game.
The Valleycats scored what would be the winning run in the top of the fourth, then remained silent for the next three frames. It wasn't until the final two frames the visitors padded their lead by a pair of tallies, scoring once in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Though he allowed just two hits and one earned run over five innings, Aberdeen starter Jose Mota (1-4) had to settle for the loss. During his stint on the mound, Mota struck out two and walked a pair of hitters.
Zach Fowler came on in the sixth and tossed three innings of one-hit ball, allowing one earned run, striking out three and issuing no walks. Luis Lebron closed out the game for Aberdeen, surrendering one run on one hit, striking out two and allowing one base on balls.