The Orioles’ top pitching prospect fared well Tyler Austin Jersey , while their former top pitching prospect didn’t.leheader sweeps."Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) 7, Norfolk Tides 0If anyone has seen Norfolk’s offense, please call the courtesy phone. The Tides got utterly dominated by the Gwinnett pitching staff, managing one measly hit, a Zach Vincej sixth-inning single. Stripers righty Mike Soroka threw five no-hit innings and combined with three relievers to rack up 12 strikeouts. Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander each fanned twice, and poor Christopher Bostick took the golden sombrero with four whiffs.It wasn’t a great night on the mound for the Tides, either. Starter Luis Ortiz allowed four runs and six hits in three innings, and Tanner Scott’s spring training struggles continued into the regular season, as he was tagged for three runs. Matt Wotherspoon, in his first appearance since making his major league debut on Wednesday (and subsequently being removed from the 40-man roster), ate up 2.2 scoreless frames.Harrisburg Senators (Nationals) 6, Bowie Baysox 5 (Game 1)2019 is a crucial season for former first-round pick Hunter Harvey. After years of injury problems, he’s running out of time to re-establish himself as a noteworthy prospect. And folks, his season debut on this night was not encouraging. Harvey was cuffed around for 10 hits and five runs (four earned) in 4.2 innings of work. He gave up two home runs, including one to rehabbing major leaguer Michael A. Taylor. Harvey did strike out six, but still, he was much more hittable than you’d like to see. Harvey’s performance frittered away an early 5-0 Baysox lead http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , and the Senators walked it offin the seventh against reliever Tyler Erwin. There was some good news on the offensive end with Ryan McKenna, who went 2-for-4 with an opposite-field home run out of the leadoff spot. O’s top prospect Yusniel Diaz was 0-for-3 with a strikeout.Harrisburg 4, Bowie 2 (Game 2)The Senators completed the doubleheader sweep with another comeback victory in the nightcap, scoring four unanswered runs after the Baysox led 2-0. Diaz completed a forgettable doubleheader with another two strikeouts in three hitless at-bats, going 0-for-6 with three Ks in the two games. A fellow prospect from the Manny Machado trade, Rylan Bannon, cranked his first home run.On the mound, the Baysox debuted the Dillon Tate/Chris Lee tandem that they intend to useat the outset of this season. Tate worked four innings — giving up three runs and five hits, walking two and striking out four — and Lee tossed two, coughing up a solo homer as his only hit allowed.Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox) 4, Frederick Keys 1 (Game 1)The Orioles’ top pitching prospect, DL Hall (ranked No. 88 overall by MLB Pipeline), made his 2019 debut, and it was a solid one. Hall whiffed six batters in his three innings of work, twice fanning the nearly-impossible-to-strike-out Sox prospect Nick Madrigal (ranked No. 46 overall). The Dash, though, made Hall work. He threw 71 pitches in those three frames.Keys reliever Steven Klimek didn’t fare so well, giving up a pair of runs that broke a 1-1 tie. Another top 100 prospect Miguel Andujar Jersey , Dash outfielder Luis Robert (No. 39), went 2-for-4 with an RBI. In the Frederick lineup, Willy Yahn and Kirvin “The Mosquito” Moesquit each had two hits.Winston-Salem 8, Frederick 5 (Game 2)The Keys, just like the Baysox, got swept in their doubleheader to fall to 0-3 this season. Frederick pitchers again couldn’t contain Luis Robert, who collected another three hits. After Keys starter Cameron Bishop logged four innings and gave up two runs, relievers Cameron Ming and Scott Burke were tagged for three apiece.The Keys have a somewhat anonymous lineup (if you don’t count Ryan Ripken’s recognizable family name), with very few highly touted prospects on their roster, but left fielder Trevor Craport and designated hitter J.C. Escarra each went yard in the losing effort.Lexington Legends (Royals) 5, Delmarva Shorebirds 4 (10 innings)With the other O’s minor league teams going a combined 0-5 today, the Shorebirds were the last hope to salvage a victory on the Orioles’ farm. But they blew a 4-3 lead in the ninth inning and joined the rest of the affiliates in the loss column. Chris Vallot’s RBI single in the 10th off Nick Gruener plated the free runner who was put on second base to start the inning.Gray Fenter started and gave up three runs (one earned) in five innings, but the more impressive pitching performance came from 2018 fourth-round pick Drew Rom. The lefty tossed 3.2 excellent innings in relief and recorded all eight of his outs via the strikeout. Rom would’ve notched a save if not for a crucial error by shortstop Adam Hall, who threw the ball away in the ninth on what should’ve been the last out of the game.Hall at least contributed offensively, reaching base four times. Robert Neustrom and Jean Carlos Encarnacion each had two hits and two RBIs. Cadyn Grenier, the Orioles’ competitive balance round pick in 2018, was 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.Complete box scores from today’s games can be found here.Sunday’s scheduled games:Norfolk at Gwinnett, 1:05. Starter: Keegan AkinBowie at Harrisburg Tim Tebow Jersey , 1:00. Starter: Zac LowtherFrederick vs. Winston-Salem, 1:00. Starter: Matthias DietzDelmarva at Lexington, 2:05. Starter: Nick Vespi PITTSBURGH (AP) Jameson Taillon spent the hours before the trade deadline doing some detective work. The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher scoured Twitter for updates, asked team trainers if they were scanning medical records and touched base with acquaintances of potential targets for a brief rundown on who might be joining the hottest team in the majors.”I had fun with it,” Taillon said. ”My heart was racing, I think.”So are the Pirates.Hours after his team picked up Texas closer Keone Kela and Tampa Bay starting pitcher Chris Archer in an effort to give Pittsburgh’s surprising postseason push a jolt, Taillon pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the Pirates held on late for a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.”We’re really excited for the additions,” Taillon said. ”I think we still kind of don’t have anything to lose so we’re going to keep playing free. Going to hopefully play complete games like we’ve been doing and see what we can make happen.”Gregory Polanco hit his team-leading 19th home run, a solo shot in the eighth that gave the Pirates a two-run cushion. They needed it after closer Felipe Vazquez gave up a single to pinch-hitter David Bote leading off the top of the ninth and Addison Russell followed with a shot to the gap in right-center that scored Bote.Russell sped to third on the play and was initially ruled safe , but the call was overturned upon review. Vazquez retired the next two batters to pick up his 24th save in 28 opportunities.”I’d like to see the replay on that last play, because I didn’t see it,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ”I went up and looked at it. The call on the field has integrity and I’d really need to see why that was changed.”David Freese added a pair of RBI doubles for the Pirates, including a drive to the gap in right-center in the fifth that scored Polanco and put Pittsburgh ahead to stay as the resurgent Pirates won for the 16th time in 20 games.”We’ve been fighting the last month,” Polanco said. ”We know we want to play in October and to bring in pitchers (like Kela and Archer) is good for us and you know, that’s a good plan. You’ve got to keep fighting, keep winning.”Taillon (8-8) allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings of work, his lone mistake an off-speed pitch to Javy Baez in the fourth that Baez turned into a three-run homer that tied the game.Baez finished 3 for 4, including his shot to the rotunda behind the left-field seats that boosted his season home run total to 22 Jay Bruce Jersey , but the Cubs hit into two double plays and left seven runners on base to lose for the third time in four games.Jon Lester (12-4) hadn’t lost on the road since falling to Cleveland on April 25. He needed 101 pitches to labor through five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Lester is 2-1 with a 4.69 ERA in four starts against the Pirates this season.”It seems like every time I throw against them, I’m not getting ahead,” he said. ”Kind of a grinder. Hopefully, I get another shot. I feel like I haven’t pitched even close to anything good against these guys.”The Pirates were reeling three weeks ago but have moved into the playoff chase by posting the best record in the majors since July 8. General manager Neal Huntington splurged at the deadline, bringing in Archer and Kela while parting with young prospects in outfielder Austin Meadows and pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Taylor Hearn.Huntington called the decision a difficult one but felt it was worth it with both Archer and Kela under team control through at least 2020. Either way, the Pirates enter August in the thick of a crowded NL playoff chase. Consider the Cubs believers in Pittsburgh’s chances after their NL Central rival drew within six games of first place.”I think this team is definitely not out of it,” Lester said. ”I think we’ve seen in the past where they do get maybe a little bit on the streaky side. Hopefully, you kind of catch them when they’re not streaking in a positive way. But yeah, their offense gets rolling. They’ve got a good group over there.”TRAINER’S ROOMCubs: RHP Yu Darvish (right triceps) reported no pain following a bullpen session on Tuesday. Darvish, who hasn’t pitched since May 20, called it a ”starting point” and remains out indefinitely. The four-time All Star also brushed off comments made by former MLB star-turned-ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez, who said during a broadcast on Sunday night that Darvish’s slow rehab was a distraction in the Chicago clubhouse. Darvish said ”it doesn’t matter” what Rodriguez thinks of him.UP NEXTCubs: Cole Hamels will make his first start for the Cubs on Wednesday when the teams wrap up their two-game set. Chicago acquired Hamels from Texas last week. The four-time All-Star went 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA for the Rangers this season.Pirates: Nick Kingham (5-5, 4.80 ERA) will try to bounce back after giving up six runs in three-plus innings in a loss to the New York Mets last Thursday.—