Triple-A Norfolk
Right-hander Richard Rodriguez had success last season without a major league call-up, and is again the most successful pitcher on the Tides roster not to receive big league time this year. Rodriguez, 27, entered Friday with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.093 WHIP with 36 strikeouts and 10 walks in 20 appearances this year for the Tides.
Double-A Bowie
Outfielder Austin Hays, the Orioles' 2016 third-round draft pick, was promoted to Double-A Bowie on Thursday and singled in his debut there. Hays, 21, was fresh off the Carolina League All-Star Game, which he'd made after batting .328/.364/.592 with 16 home runs in the first half for the Keys. He joins a touted outfield that already features Cedric Mullins and DJ Stewart.
High-A Frederick
While Hays went to Double-A, the other scorching hitter in Frederick — shortstop Ryan Mountcastle — stayed put after the All-Star break. Mountcastle, 20, entered Friday batting .313/.341/.544 with 12 home runs and 25 doubles in his first year at High-A. Many of the league's top prospects moved up after Tuesday's All-Star Game, but Mountcastle was left for more seasoning in Frederick.
Low-A Delmarva
Following rehabilitating big leaguer Zach Britton on Thursday, left-hander Zach Muckenhirn picked up with six innings of two-hit, scoreless ball in a 6-0 win for the Shorebirds. The 22-year-old Muckenhirn, an 11th-round pick out of North Dakota last year, is 3-6 with a 4.68 ERA and a 1.587 WHIP over 14 appearances (13 starts) in his first full professional season.
Short-A Aberdeen
Right-hander Brenan Hanifee's first professional outing was a good one, with last year's fourth-round pick throwing six scoreless innings, allowing five hits without a walk and striking out five. Hanifee, 19, had spent the first few months of the season in extended spring training and is one of the youngest players on the IronBirds roster.