Establishing a winning atmosphere in the minor leagues was paramount for the Orioles? front office this year. That mentality has paid off, as Frederick has clinched a playoff berth and both Aberdeen and Ottawa have eyes on the postseason.
“Playoffs are nice, but the main thing is to keep the guys competitive,” said Orioles director of minor league operations David Stockstill. “That?s been difficult this year with all of the call-ups, but the development has been good.”
For those not participating in the playoffs, there will be roughly five September call-ups to Baltimore. Don?t expect all the moves to be made Friday ? Stockstill said the process will play out the next four or five days. Look for some Triple-A and Double-A players to join the big league club.
“Certainly, there are some people being talked about at Double-A,” Stockstill said. “You?ve got guys there who?ve been [to Baltimore]. Jeff Fiorentino and Chris Britton are two guys who are very prominent because of big league experience.”
OTTAWA LYNX (73-66)
The Lynx are 8.5 games behind division-leading Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and four games behind wild card leading Rochester. Outfielder Luis Terrero leads the club with a .307 average.
BOWIE BAYSOX (63-74)
Garrett Olson struck out nine batters in 5 2/3 innings but was tagged with his fifth loss of the season Monday.
He is 5-5 with a 3.43 ERA since joining the Double-A squad.
FREDERICK KEYS (35-30)
The Keys clinched the Carolina League?s second-half Northern Division title and will host a playoff opener Sept. 6.
DELMARVA SHOREBIRDS (27-37)
The Shorebirds? home game was postponed Tuesday when the lights at Perdue Stadium went dark amidst a citywide blackout in Salisbury.
The Shorebirds close out the season this weekend in a four-game series at Hagerstown.
ABERDEEN IRONBIRDS (36-31)
Outfielder David Cash Jr. hit his first professional home run in the seventh inning Tuesday night. He is batting .325 and has stolen four bases in 21 games.
BLUEFIELD ORIOLES (31-36)
Bluefield finished the season Wednesday. Outfielder Kieron Pope, recently promoted to Aberdeen, was named a postseason Appalachian League all-star. He was hitting .341 with five home runs and 29 RBI.
