Baysox Notebook: Bowie Just One Game Back of First Place Entering August

With Bowie’s 12-8 win against New Britain Sunday afternoon, and Harrisburg’s loss to Binghamton, the Baysox (59-48) now trail the Senators (61-48) by just one game for first place in the Eastern League’s Western Division with just more than a month left in the regular season.

Richmond (60-48), meanwhile, leads Bowie by just a half game for second place. The top two teams in the division qualify for the Eastern League playoffs.

The Baysox finished July 20-10 after beginning the month a game under .500 (38-39).

HOES AND FLORIMON STAYING HOT; WARING IMPROVING

With Sunday’s 2-for-4 performance against New Britain, during which tallied three runs scored and an RBI, outfielder L.J. Hoes has raised his team-best batting average to .318.

Hoes is hitting .354 in 19 games since the All-Star break, including .462 (12-of-26) in his last eight games. The 21-year-old Hoes posted a .412 on-base percentage in July while also producing 10 extra-base hits (six doubles, four home runs), 21 RBI and seven stolen bases during the month.

Shortstop Pedro Florimon, known more his defense than his offense, also enjoyed a stellar July. After batting just .196 in May, Florimon batted .291 average in June and finished July with a .320 batting average. He is now hitting .268 with 30 extra-base hits (21 doubles, two triples, seven home runs) and 47 RBI.

The 24-year-old Florimon hit just .183 in 37 games with Bowie last season.

Infielder Brandon Waring, meanwhile, who has played both first base and third base for the Baysox, is batting .288 since the All-Star after entering the break with a meager .189 batting average. And after tallying only four home runs during the first two months of the season, Waring has slugged 10 during the last two months, and now leads Bowie with 14. He also ranks third on the team in RBI (41), having produced 25 during that same two month span.

BRITTON PROMOTED, BUT SHELLED BY YANKEES

Bowie left-handed pitcher Zach Britton was recalled by the Orioles prior to Saturday’s night game against the Yankees, the second of a double-header, but struggled mightily in his return to the major leagues.

Britton, who was 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts with the Baysox, yielded nine runs, six of which were earned, on seven hits in just 1/3 of an inning of work. The Orioles ended up losing the game, 17-3.

Britton had been 6-7 with a 4.05 ERA in 18 starts for the Orioles before being reassigned to Bowie early in July.