The Chesapeake Baysox, the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, fell to the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in a 1-0 final Sunday, dropping the finale of a seven-game series Chesapeake had already clinched.
In his first Double-A action since late April, Chesapeake (22-17, 51-56) right-hander Trace Bright — making his first start since being optioned back from Triple-A Norfolk — took a perfect game into the sixth inning when a Harrisburg leadoff home run brought across the game’s only run. Elijah Green, recently promoted to Double-A for the first time in his career, hit the solo shot to right center. The Senators (20-18, 54-53) won despite being held to just two base runners all game — the home run and an eighth-inning double.
The Baysox had runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but a fielder’s choice out at home on a squeeze play and a strikeout preserved the Senators’ shutout.
Bright retired the first 15 batters he faced and earned seven of his eight strikeouts during that stretch. After Green’s homer, Bright (L, 0-2) retired the next three batters, facing one over the minimum across six full innings. Harrisburg starter Jack Cebert gave up a hit and two walks across four scoreless innings in a no-decision, before Robert Cranz (W, 3-0) took over and faced the minimum in the fifth.
Left-hander Micah Ashman, reinstated from the injured list Sunday, struck out a batter in a scoreless seventh.
Chesapeake nearly broke through against Harrisburg reliever Isaac Lyon in the eighth, when Doug Hodo and Brandon Butterworth both singled within a three-batter span. Hodo advanced to third on the hit, and Butterworth stole second, putting two runners in scoring position with two outs — but Lyon struck out the next batter to escape the jam.
Harrisburg’s one-run lead held into the ninth on the strength of Richard Guasch, who struck out a batter and faced one over the minimum across a scoreless eighth and ninth. Guasch hasn’t allowed a run in eight of his 11 Double-A appearances this season.
Chesapeake made one last push in the bottom of the ninth. Wehiwa Aloy reached third on a pinch-hit single but was thrown out at the plate on a squeeze bunt attempt. Lyon (S, 1) then struck out the final batter to close out a four-inning save.
The Baysox head to FirstEnergy Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 11, to open a six-game series against the Reading Fightin Phils, the Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Chesapeake returns to Prince George’s Stadium on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 6:35 p.m. to open a weeklong series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
