7/4-7/10 Somerset And Bowie Preview
Bridgewater, New Jersey - After a dramatic ending to the last game played at TD Bank Ballpark by the Patriots, Somerset returns home to host the Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles) for a six-game series, marking the first homestand of the second half of the season.
Bridgewater, New Jersey - After a dramatic ending to the last game played at TD Bank Ballpark by the Patriots, Somerset returns home to host the Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles) for a six-game series, marking the first homestand of the second half of the season.
The Baysox opened up the second half of the 2022 campaign with five wins in a six-game series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels following a 27-42 record in the first half and last place finish in the Southwest Division.
Bowie gained a significant boost in its outfield last week with the promotion of Colton Cowser, Baltimore’s number four prospect and MLB Pipeline’s number 53 prospect. In just his first five games, Cowser totaled five hits, including a home run, three RBI, seven walks and six runs scored. Selected fifth overall by the Orioles in the 2021 draft out of Sam Houston State University, Cowser has already worked his way up to Double-A after he batted .375 with 34 RBI between Rookie Ball and Low-A Delmarva. He then began 2022 in High-A Aberdeen and hit .258 with 25 RBI, five home runs, 52 walks and 48 runs scored.
Also in the Baysox’s lineup is the Orioles’ number 11 prospect Cesar Prieto. A 23-year-old infielder prospect from Cuba, Prieto was promoted to Bowie in late-May following a stellar start to the season with Aberdeen. In 35 games with the team, Prieto has hit .287 with two home runs, 15 RBI and 20 runs scored. He was signed to a minor league contract in January of this year and has since broken out in the farm system.
Having already clinched a playoff spot by finishing in first place of the Northeast Division in the first half, the Patriots enter the series with a 2-4 second half record after last week’s series against the Reading Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies).
Chad Bell caught fire on the road with consecutive home runs in the final four games against Reading as well as four RBI and five runs scored across the entire series. RHP Randy Vasquez also continued his dominant season with two earned runs and seven strikeouts through seven frames against the Fightin Phils. He now has a 2.73 ERA, a team-best and fourth-best in the Eastern League.