Since his promotion to the Majors last month, Ryan Mountcastle has quickly become a force in the middle of the Orioles lineup. On Wednesday, he had his best game yet.
One night after ripping two hits, the fifth-ranked O's prospect set a career high with four knocks, driving in one
Since his promotion to the Majors last month, Ryan Mountcastle has quickly become a force in the middle of the Orioles lineup. On Wednesday, he had his best game yet.
One night after ripping two hits, the fifth-ranked O's prospect set a career high with four knocks, driving in one run and scoring another in a 7-6 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.
"I feel pretty good," Mountcastle told reporters after the game. "I'm getting some good pitches to hit and have laid off some more pitcher pitches."
Mountcastle was called up from the team's alternate training site on Aug. 21 and already has produced seven multi-hit games, four of which have come in his last seven contests.
He got things started on the first pitch he saw Wednesday, ambushing Rick Porcello's offering into center field for an RBI single in the opening frame. He's driven in nine runs during a five-game RBI streak.
MLB.com's No. 99 overall prospect singled back up the middle again against the veteran right-hander in the third. One batter later, Mountcastle scored on a double to center by Rio Ruiz.
Working the count to 2-2 in the fifth against lefty Chasen Shreve the 23-year-old hit one on the ground to third and legged out an infield single. Mountcastle got into a full count in the next inning but was plunked on the sixth pitch from righty Jared Hughes. After the game, Mountcastle said it "knocked the wind" out of him, but he felt fine.
In his last at-bat in the eighth, the 2015 first-round pick hit a hard grounder off the bag at second base against Jeurys Familia and beat out another hit. Mountcastle became the youngest Orioles player to record a four-hit game since Manny Machado in 2015, according to MLB.com. The reigning International League MVP last recorded a four-hit game on July 27, 2019 when he went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored for Triple-A Norfolk against Lehigh Valley.
A five-time MiLB.com Organization All-Star, Mountcastle and his 55-grade hit tool have transitioned well to The Show. Through 60 at-bats, he's batting .383 with a 1.071 OPS. And he's reached safely in all but one of the eight games he's played in September as the upstart O's battle for a postseason spot.
"Yeah, it makes it a lot easier to play hard and try to win every day," Mountcastle said of the playoff push. "When you try to win, I think everybody is just going to play better. ... The last week or so we've been playing really well and seeing some other teams fall back a little bit and seeing how close we are, we're hungry to get a playoff spot."
An infielder by trade, Mountcastle played 26 games in left field in the IL last year and has spent all of his time out there this season. The move has been made easier by the extra preparation he put in to make himself a more versatile defender.
"During Spring Training, that little quarantine thing we had and summer camp, been working really hard out there," Mountcastle said of playing in the outfield. "I feel pretty good."
On the other side, No. 3 Mets prospect Andrés Giménez extended his hitting streak to six games with a game-tying opposite-field homer in the sixth. The 22-year-old shortstop is batting .292 through his first 36 games in the Majors.
No. 16 Orioles prospect Hunter Harvey (0-1) allowed a solo homer in the eighth to Pete Alonso and took the loss. He yielded the run, a hit and a walk in one frame as his ERA climbed to 3.60.
In other action:
Braves 29, Marlins 9
In a record-breaking setback, fourth-ranked Marlins prospect Jazz Chisholm collected his first Major League extra-base hits and RBI with a triple and a homer. He had one hit in his first 16 at-bats before smacking a shot to the right-center field gap off Tommy Milone to score Jorge Alfaro in the second inning. With one out and the bases empty in the fourth, MLB Pipeline's No. 67 overall prospect sent a 2-1 fastball from the veteran left-hander into the Atlanta bullpen in right-center. Despite the lopsided score, Braves No. 5 prospect Bryse Wilson recorded his first professional save. He gave up a run on four hits and two walks with one strikeout over four innings. Box score
Yankees 7, Blue Jays 2
Deivi Garcia bounced back from his shortest start in the Majors with his longest. The third-ranked Yankees prospect gave up two runs on five hits over seven innings, striking out six without issuing a walk for his first big league win. After surrendering a two-run homer to Derek Fisher in the second, he retired 16 of the last 18 batters he faced. Box score
Brewers 19, Tigers 0
Brewers No. 23 prospect Tyrone Taylor capped a career day at the plate by smacking his first big league home run in a romp over Detroit. The 2012 second-round pick was 1-for-8 in his first five games this season but went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Facing infielder Travis Demeritte in the ninth inning, he drilled a two-run blast into the seats in left field. Seventh-ranked Tigers prospect Daz Cameron was 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his Major League debut, while No. 30 Rony Garcia retired two batters and surrendered three runs on three hits and a walk with one strikeout. Box score
Rangers 7, Angels 3
Leody Taveras provided a spark atop the Texas lineup. The third-ranked Rangers prospect doubled, walked and scored twice, swiping home on the back end of a double-steal in the sixth inning. He's reached safely in six straight games with six runs scored. Rangers No. 25 prospect Kyle Cody made his second big league start and gave up one run on three hits and three walks with three punchouts over 2 1/3 innings. For the Angels, top prospect Jo Adell went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Box score
Royals 3, Indians 0
Edward Olivares continued his hot streak with his new team, extending his hitting streak to six games. The No. 22 Royals prospect went 2-for-4 with a triple, RBI and run scored in the win. A single to left in the fifth, he delivered a key three-base hit in the ninth inning to plate Alex Gordon and extend the Royals lead to two. He scored the final run of the game on a Nicky Lopez single. Since coming over from the Padres, Olivares has collected 10 hits and five RBIs. Box score
White Sox 8, Pirates 1
Dane Dunning had gotten off to a solid start in the Majors, but he had his best outing so as a big leaguer Wednesday. The No. 7 White Sox prospect threw a career-best six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk with three strikeouts to earn his first win. He threw 51 of 78 pitches for strike and kept the ball down effectively with 10 groundouts. Through 20 innings and four starts, he's maintained a 2.70 ERA. Third-ranked Nick Madrigal went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, collecting a two-run single in the fourth. No. 2 Pirates prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes finished 0-for-3 with a walk. Box score
Padres 5, Rockies 3
Jake Cronenworth reached base twice as he singled and was hit by a pitch on a 1-for-3 night. The No. 13 Padres prospect was plunked leading off the second inning, then smacked a single up the middle in the sixth to drive in Wil Myers with the go-ahead run. Cronenworth is hitting .323 this season. No. 22 Rockies prospect Josh Fuentes went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Box score
Giants 10, Mariners 1
Top Giants prospect Joey Bart extended his hitting streak to three games with a 2-for-4 effort, driving in a run and scoring another. He led off the third inning with a single, then singled up the middle in the fifth to drive in Brandon Belt. No. 18 Giants prospect Luis Alexander Basabe entered in the sixth as a pinch-runner and scored on a groundout by Belt. After two tough outings in a row, Mariners No. 22 prospect Aaron Fletcher delivered a scoreless seventh in relief. He allowed one hit and struck out three. Fifth-ranked Evan White, who had three hits over his previous two games, went 0-for-4. Box score
*Athletics 3, Astros 2 *
Making his first start about the Class A Advanced level, Astros No. 17 prospect Luis Garcia was brilliant. He gave up one hit and two walks over five scoreless innings, striking out four. Matt Olson singled with two outs in the fourth for the A's only hit off the 23-year-old right-hander. Box score
Dodgers 6, D-backs 4 (10 innings)
One night after homering twice, No. 2 overall prospect Gavin Lux went 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts but drove in a run with a forceout for the Dodgers. Fourth-ranked Los Angeles prospect Brusdar Graterol worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing one hit while fanning one. For the D-backs, No. 3 prospect Daulton Varsho walked and scored a run in four plate appearances. Box score
