Tag Archives: Orioles

04 Aug

feel-good moment

In his fifth game since being promoted to Triple-A by Baltimore, Reed Trimble had himself a day. The Southern Miss alum from Tupelo went 3-for-5, drove in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and scored the game-winner in Norfolk’s 10-9 victory Sunday over Memphis. A switch-hitting outfielder, the 25-year-old Trimble is batting .228 over four levels this season; he is 5-for-21 at Norfolk. Drafted 65th overall by the Orioles in 2021 — after hitting .345 with 17 homers that season at USM — Trimble has had trouble staying on the field. He has made at least six trips to the injured list and played in just 192 games over his five minor league campaigns. A .240 career hitter with 17 homers and 51 steals, he has slipped off the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospect list in the Baltimore system. But he is getting a shot at the Triple-A level, and Sunday’s effort was certainly a feel-good moment. … Trimble upstaged former DeSoto Central High standout Blaze Jordan, who got his first hit (in his second game) for Memphis since being traded to St. Louis by Boston. P.S. And the winning pitcher of the first major league game ever played at a NASCAR track in Tennessee is: Hurston Waldrep. The USM alum and ex-Mississippi Braves standout threw 5 2/3 impressive innings for Atlanta in the 4-2 win Sunday against Cincinnati. The Speedway Classic was suspended in the first inning on Saturday night. Waldrep caught a ride in Sunday morning from Lawrenceville, Ga., where he was slated to pitch for Triple-A Gwinnett. In Bristol, he allowed just one run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts for his first career win in his third MLB appearance. Eli White got the MVP award after hitting two homers, but what Waldrep did was just as valuable. “I’m happy to be here. It’s just been an unbelievable day,” he told mlb.com postgame. Alas, he was optioned back to Gwinnett today. The right-hander, a 2024 first-round pick (out of Florida), endured two rough MLB outings in 2024 and was 7-8 with a 4.42 ERA this year at Gwinnett, where had pitched well in his last several outings. … The Braves’ Austin Riley (DeSoto Central grad) felt abdominal pain after making a diving tag on Sunday, left the game and is likely to miss at least a couple more. … Former Mississippi College star Blaine Crim was claimed by Colorado off waivers from Texas and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. … Dakota Jordan, the former Ferriss Trophy winner at Mississippi State, put up a 5-for-6 with a homer for Low-Class A San Jose in a 15-7 win Sunday vs. Stockton. San Francisco’s No. 6 prospect, bucking for a promotion, is hitting .315 with 12 bombs.

30 Jul

bird feed

After a rather weak start to his season that included a stint on the injured list, Jordan Westburg has been coming on strong for Baltimore this month. Former Mississippi State star Westburg, batting leadoff, went 4-for-6 with two doubles, an RBI and four runs to spark the Orioles to a 16-4 win over Toronto in the first game of a Tuesday twinbill. Westburg is batting .337 in July, with seven knocks in his last two games, boosting his season average to .269. He was at .217 when he went on the IL in late April. For the year, the 2024 All-Star third baseman has 11 homers, 24 RBIs and 42 runs in 56 games for the underachieving Orioles. They did sweep first-place Toronto on Tuesday to extend their win streak to five but are just 50-58. In more Bird news: The Orioles called up ex-Ole Miss standout Houston Roth as an extra pitcher on Tuesday, but he did not play. It might be a short-term stay. The right-hander, a 2019 draftee by Baltimore, is having a good year, with a 2.21 ERA, four wins and two saves in 24 relief appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. The O’s also have MSU alum Preston Johnson, a 2022 draftee, at Triple-A Norfolk, though he has not pitched well there since moving up earlier this month. Baltimore promoted Southern Miss product Reed Trimble to Norfolk, but the outfielder didn’t play Tuesday. A 2021 draftee, he is batting .227 with nine homers and 10 steals on the season. Of note: The Orioles drafted — and have signed — two juco pitchers from Mississippi this year: Pearl River Community College ace K.K. Clark and Meridian CC star Conner Gehr. P.S. USM alum Hurston Waldrep, who was reportedly being promoted to Atlanta, instead tossed seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts for Triple-A Gwinnett. He is 7-8, 4.42 ERA. … Former Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz faced four batters and retired one for the Chicago Cubs in their 9-3 loss to Milwaukee. The veteran lefty wasn’t charged with a run but has yielded five over his last seven outings (9.64 ERA) after throwing 26 scoreless innings to begin his Cubs tenure. … Petal High’s Trey Barnes will play in today’s Hank Aaron Invitational, a premier prep showcase event, at Birmingham’s Rickwood Field. A USM commit, Barnes hit .404 with four homers and 29 RBIs as a junior at Petal last season.

22 Jul

names to know

Brandon Woodruff: The Mississippi State product from Wheeler threw six commanding innings for Milwaukee on Monday, driving the Brewers to a 6-0 win at Seattle. Milwaukee has won 11 straight, taken over first place in the National League Central and claimed the best record in the majors (60-40). In his third start since coming off the injured list, Woodruff (2-0) limited the Mariners to two hits, walked none and struck out five. He has a 1.65 ERA on the season with 23 K’s and no walks in 16 1/3 innings.
Reed Trimble: The ex-Southern Miss star from Tupelo takes a 20-game on-base streak into Double-A Chesapeake’s contest tonight at Altoona. He was batting .119 when his streak began; he is hitting .283 in July and .211 with seven homers and 10 steals overall for the Baysox, a Baltimore affiliate. The 65th overall pick in the 2021 draft, the 25-year-old outfielder has battled injuries ever since.
J.B. Middleton: The 2025 draftee out of USM reportedly has signed with Colorado for $2.07 million. A first-team All-America selection and the state’s Ferriss Trophy winner, he was the 45th overall pick, the highest any Golden Eagles pitcher has ever been picked. Middleton is the third player drafted on Day 1 this year from a Mississippi school confirmed to have signed, joining JoJo Parker and Jake Cook.
Banks Tolley: The former St. Andrew’s standout from Madison is one of the leading hitters for Schaumburg, which hosts the Mississippi Mud Monsters tonight to start a Frontier League series. Tolley is hitting .318 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in 44 games for the independent club. He led St. Andrews to a state title in 2018, starred at Meridian Community College for two years, played a reserve role on Ole Miss’ 2022 national title team and got All-America recognition at Appalachian State in 2024.

11 Jul

whatever happened to …

Dylan DeLucia, the Most Outstanding Player in the 2022 CWS with Ole Miss, is 3-3 with a 3.41 ERA at Double-A Akron in the Cleveland chain. He took a loss against Richmond on Thursday night, allowing four runs in three innings. The right-hander, drafted in 2022, didn’t make his pro debut until last summer. He began 2025 in A-ball.
Tanner Hall, the 2022 Ferriss Trophy winner at Southern Miss, is 3-3 with a 5.26 in 15 starts for High-Class A Cedar Rapids (Minnesota). A fourth-round pick by the Twins in 2023, Hall has been limited by injuries to 34 games in pro ball.
Dakota Hudson, the erstwhile big leaguer and ex-Mississippi State star, is 4-6 with a 7.87 ERA at Triple-A Salt Lake (Los Angeles Angels). ERAs tend to be a little inflated in the Pacific Coast League, but Hudson was banged around for nine runs in five innings on Wednesday. He went 2-12, 6.17, for Colorado in 2024 but has a career ERA of 4.21 (with 40 wins) in the big leagues.
Taylor Broadway, the closer for the 2021 Ole Miss team, has 4.30 ERA and a 3-1 mark over 20 games for Cleburne in the independent American Association. He pitched three seasons in affiliated ball (Chicago White Sox and Boston systems) but sat out 2024.
Ethan Small, the former first-rounder out of MSU, has been on the injured list (oblique) all season at Triple-A Sacramento (San Francisco). The left-hander, who has four MLB appearances on his ledger, made just 14 minor league appearances in 2024. He has a career 3.22 ERA in the minors.
James McArthur, the former Ole Miss standout, has been on the IL all season (elbow) with Kansas City. The seven-year pro, 28, was the Royals’ closer late in 2023 and early last season before losing that role. He has a 4.84 ERA and 22 saves in 75 career MLB games.
P.S. MSU alum Jordan Westburg reached double-digits in home runs on Thursday with his 10th for Baltimore. He has three homers in his last five games. … Ex-Bulldogs star Brent Rooker, announced Thursday as a participant in next week’s Home Run Derby, banged out two doubles (Nos. 20 and 21) and scored twice, including the game-winner as the A’s beat Atlanta 5-4 in 11 innings.

16 Jun

all in a day

On a day when the Rafael Devers trade shook the baseball world, other things did happen throughout the game. Here’s a snapshot of Sunday movers and shakers with Mississippi ties:
In the big leagues, former Mississippi State star Jordan Westburg went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs out of the leadoff spot, driving Baltimore to its third straight win, 11-2 over the Los Angeles Angels. Westburg, who has three homers since coming off the injured list on Tuesday, has seven bombs on the year and has lifted his average to .234.
At Triple-A, Southern Miss alum Hurston Waldrep, who has had a very uneven season for Gwinnett in Atlanta’s system, allowed one run in six innings with six strikeouts as the Stripers beat Memphis. Waldrep, a 2023 first-round draftee (out of Florida) and Atlanta’s No. 2 prospect, is 5-5 with a 5.84 ERA.
At Double-A, ex-Ole Miss star Kemp Alderman went 2-for-5 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs for Miami affiliate Pensacola in a win against Rocket City. Alderman, a second-round pick in 2023 after winning the Ferriss Trophy, is batting .290 with seven homers and 30 RBIs for the Blue Wahoos.
At High-Class A, MSU product Khal Stephen improved to 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA for Vancouver, throwing five innings (one run) to beat Spokane. A second-round pick by Toronto in 2024, Stephen is 6-0, 2.10, in 13 games over two levels of A-ball in his pro debut.
At the Low-A level, former MSU standout Connor Hujsak, batting third and playing right field for Charleston, went 1-for-5 with two walks, two RBIs, two runs and two steals in a doubleheader split against Augusta. A 13th-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2024, Hujsak is batting .230 with three homers, 32 RBIs and 14 bags in 58 games this season.
In the unaffiliated Mexican League, Ole Miss product and ex-big leaguer Chris Ellis notched his 12th save with a scoreless ninth for Monterrey in a 3-1 win vs. Queretaro. Ellis, 32 and in his 11th pro season, has a 2.61 ERA over 21 appearances for the Sultans.
And in the independent Frontier League, Brayland Skinner, MSU alum from Lake Cormorant, went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a steal in the Mississippi Mud Monsters’ 11-3 loss at Schaumburg. Skinner, in his second indy ball season, is hitting .310 with a league-best 25 stolen bases.

11 Jun

out of kilter

In his first game off the injured list, Mississippi State product Jordan Westburg hit a home run for Baltimore. Unfortunately for the Orioles, the homer came in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss to Detroit. The Orioles, perhaps the most disappointing team in the big leagues, had entered the opener of this series having won seven of nine. Westburg and center fielder Cedric Mullins were activated from the IL. “I think everybody in Baltimore is excited,” O’s interim manager Tony Mansolino said pregame. Detroit, with the best record (44-24) in baseball, didn’t seem to notice, building a 5-1 lead by the fifth inning. Baltimore managed just six hits. And so it goes for the O’s. They are now 26-39, dead last in the American League East. Westburg was an All-Star at third base in 2024, when he hit .264 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs. A big season was expected of him and this team, which went 91-71 in 2024 and made the playoffs. But like many of his teammates, Westburg scuffled out of the gate. When he went down with a hamstring injury on April 28, he was hitting .217. He now has five homers but just seven RBIs. His numbers are bound to improve, but the team is in such a deep hole, and its pitching in such a fix, improvement in the standings could be a tall order. … Home runs were kind of a thing for Mississippians on Tuesday. In MLB, Nathaniel Lowe hit his ninth for Washington, Matt Wallner his fifth for Minnesota and Nick Fortes his second for Miami. In the minors, Reed Trimble (Baltimore system), Braden Montgomery (Chicago White Sox) and Brennon McNair (Kansas City) went yard. And in the independent Frontier League, Travis Holt and Karell Paz homered for the Mississippi Mud Monsters in a road win at Joliet. P.S. He didn’t hit one out, but Konnor Griffin went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run in his High-Class A debut for Greensboro in the Pittsburgh system. Griffin, first-round pick out of Jackson Prep last summer, hit .338 with nine homers in Low-A ball and led the Florida State League in several categories before his promotion.

23 Sep

on center stage

The spotlight is a little brighter in the postseason, and Jacob Gonzalez is showing out in the Southern League playoffs. The ex-Ole Miss standout went 3-for-5 Sunday, including a three-run double that broke the game open in the seventh inning, as Birmingham beat Montgomery 7-2 in the opener of the SL Championship Series. Gonzalez, a lefty-swinging shortstop, is batting .538 with a homer, five RBIs and two steals in four postseason games for the Chicago White Sox’s Double-A club. The 15th overall pick ($3.9 million signing bonus) in the 2023 draft, Gonzalez was promoted from High-Class A Winston-Salem in late May and started hot for Birmingham before cooling down to a .225 average. On the year, he batted .238 with eight homers, 57 RBIs and 17 steals. He’s considered a good glove, but speculation is he’ll eventually move off shortstop. The California native had a stellar career at Ole Miss, helping the Rebels win the 2022 College World Series. Game 2 of the best-of-3 title series is Tuesday in Birmingham. … In the Double-A Eastern League Championship Series, Erie beat Somerset 9-5 in Game 1. Former Mississippi State product Colby White is a bullpen piece for Somerset (New York Yankees affiliate) and ex-William Carey star Patrick Lee a reserve infielder for Erie (Detroit). Neither played in the opener. … The Triple-A postseason begins on Tuesday. Ole Miss alum Doug Nikhazy pitches for Columbus (Cleveland) and MSU product Eric Cerantola for Omaha (Kansas City), who meet in the International League title series. Former State standout Konnor Pilkington pitches for Reno (Arizona), which takes on Sugar Land for the Pacific Coast League crown. P.S. In MLB, All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg returned to Baltimore’s lineup on Sunday, the ex-MSU star going 1-for-4 with an RBI in a loss to surging Detroit. … Emblematic of Kansas City’s struggles, MSU product Hunter Renfroe went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts as the Royals lost for the seventh straight time, 2-0 to San Francisco. The Royals managed three hits and fanned 13 times as they fell into a tie for the second American League wild card with Detroit. Renfroe, who has 13 homers, is in a 1-for-21 slump in his last seven games. … Southern Miss alum Matt Wallner had a hit in each game but couldn’t prevent Minnesota from being swept in a twinbill by Boston (8-1 and 9-3) and tumbling out of a wild card berth in the AL. … On Sept. 23, 2009, former Shannon High and Jackson State standout Dave Clark notched his first win as interim manager for Houston, which beat St. Louis 3-0. A longtime big league slugger and current first-base coach for the Astros, Clark went 4-9 in his lone managerial stint.

20 Sep

southern exposure

Behind a gem of an outing from former Mississippi State pitcher K.C. Hunt, Biloxi squared its Southern League Division Series at a game apiece with a 5-1 win against Montgomery on Thursday night. Hunt threw 7 2/3 innings, allowing just the one run on three hits and no walks with five strikeouts. A member of State’s 2021 national title team, Hunt was 8-3 with a 2.03 ERA over three levels in Milwaukee’s minor league system in 2024. Joining the Shuckers on Thursday was Cooper Pratt, the ex-Magnolia Heights star who celebrated his first game in Double-A by going 1-for-4 with an RBI. Shortstop Pratt, the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect, hit .277 with eight homers, 45 RBIs and 27 steals over two Class A levels this season. Southern Miss product Matthew Etzel drove in the only run for Montgomery, a Tampa Bay affiliate. The decisive Game 3 of the series is tonight at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium. … In the other Southern League series, former Ole Miss standout Jacob Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a homer and scored twice as Birmingham (Chicago White Sox) beat Tennessee (Cubs) 12-5 to even that series at 1-1. Gonzalez, a 2023 first-round pick, hit .238 with eight homers, 57 RBIs and 17 bags over two levels this year. P.S. MSU alum Jordan Westburg went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI for Triple-A Norfolk as he began a rehab assignment in the Baltimore system. A 2024 All-Star, Westburg (.269, 18 homers, 58 RBIs) has been on the injured list (hand) since Aug. 1. The Orioles are battling the New York Yankees for the American League East title. … Ex-USM star Nick Sandlin got the final two outs (via strikeout) in the fifth inning, halting a Minnesota rally, and Cleveland went on to beat the Twins 3-2 in 10 innings and clinch a playoff berth in the AL. Sandlin has a 3.93 ERA in 66 games. … Ole Miss alum Nick Fortes had a good view of a history-making event on Thursday. He was catching for Miami as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani went 6-for-6 with three homers, two steals and 10 RBIs, becoming the first player to record a 50-homer/50-steal season. BTW, Fortes hit his fourth homer of the year in the ninth inning of the Marlins’ 20-4 loss.

05 Sep

pain management

Their no-hitter against Pittsburgh notwithstanding, the Chicago Cubs’ postseason hopes may have taken a serious hit Wednesday when Justin Steele, the lefty from Lucedale, went on the injured list with a sore elbow. Staff ace Steele, 5-5 with a 3.09 ERA, was 3-1 in his last seven starts, and the team was 9-4 in his last 13 outings. He’ll be out for a couple of weeks — maybe longer. The Cubs have climbed into the battle for a wild card in the National League, currently sitting fifth in those standings, 4 games behind the fourth-place New York Mets. Steele told reporters Wednesday he aims to return this season. “Justin’s going to pitch if he’s healthy. That’s kind of how we’re progressing right now,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said in an mlb.com story. … The Kansas City Royals, who snapped a seven-game losing streak on Wednesday, may get ex-Mississippi State star Hunter Renfroe back this weekend, per reports. Renfroe, on the IL since Aug. 21 with a hamstring injury, played a rehab game at Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and a sac fly for the Naturals. After a slow start to 2024, Renfroe is batting .237 with 12 homers and 47 RBIs for the Royals, who are clinging to the third wild card in the American League. … Former MSU standout Jordan Westburg, out since Aug. 1 with a broken right hand, has begun playing catch and could be close to returning to Baltimore’s lineup, reports say. Westburg, a 2024 All-Star, is batting .269 with 18 homers and 58 RBIs. The Orioles lead the New York Yankees by a half-game in the AL East. … Spencer Turnbull, the Madison Central High alum who was a valuable pitcher for Philadelphia early this season, remains on the 60-day IL (lat strain) but was expected to throw a bullpen session this week. He has been out since June 27, and a time for his return to active duty remains unclear. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA in 17 games for the Phillies, who hold a seemingly comfortable 7-game lead in the NL East.

01 Aug

and the bad news …

The thrill of a big victory by the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday was muted a bit by the agony of an injury to All-Star third baseman Jordan Westburg. The Mississippi State product suffered a fracture in his right hand when hit by a pitch and could miss the rest of the regular season. “He’s a huge part of our lineup, our culture, really everything,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said in an mlb.com article. Westburg, in his second big league season, is hitting .269 with 18 homers, 25 doubles and 58 RBIs for Baltimore, which leads the American League East by a half-game over the charging New York Yankees. … In the O’s 10-4 win over Toronto at Camden Yards, rookie Jackson Holliday hit a grand slam for his first career home run. Only two other Orioles have done that since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954. The first was ex-Southern Miss star Frank Baker, who hit his slam on Sept. 28, 1973. It was the only homer in the Meridian native’s 146 career big league games. P.S. Former USM slugger Matt Wallner belted a 442-foot home run for Minnesota in an 8-3 win over the New York Mets. It was Wallner’s sixth homer of the season and fifth in his last 15 games. He was robbed of a second homer when Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor reached over the center-field wall and knocked Wallner’s fly ball back into play for a double. … Ex-USM standout Justin Storm threw two scoreless innings, striking out five of the nine batters faced, in his High-Class A debut for Beloit in the Miami system. The 6-foot-7 lefty was 4-2 with a 1.41 ERA and two saves in 24 games in Low-A this season.