An anticipated overkill by the No. 1 team will fit only too well into an annual early-season pattern. Last week’s interesting games were far outnumbered by clinics in running up the score — 76-0, 63-0, 69-3, 52-0, just to note a few of the many uber-routs. College football’s landscape is changing, yet the custom of big schools beating up on the little guys thrives. The obsequious national media and the people scheduling these games somehow fail to recognize what a bad look this is.

Charging on: Taylor Heinicke’s NFL career lives! Every time the former ODU star turns up on another team, Monarch fans have reason to smile.

Future watch: The NFL’s new kickoff rule and the introduction of in-game coach interviews will compete for this season’s worst idea.

Cats in the hat: NFL players now have the option to add the shock-absorbing Guardian Caps to their helmets during the regular season. Almost none will. Because while the shock-absorbing material may be useful for practice, it’s not cool enough for games. The league says that over two preseasons, the caps reduced concussions by 50% in practice for certain position players. But for now, fashion wins out over function.

Quick hit: Nobody asked me, but I’ll take the Ravens vs. the 49ers in Super Bowl LIX. Anybody can pick the Chiefs to three-peat. What’s the fun in that?

Turn it down: After a couple weeks of college football on TV, I’m reminded that too many play-by-play announcers took screaming lessons in broadcast school. So often the mute button is our friend.

Add TV: Again this year, every pass a defender touches is “almost intercepted.”

Bad start: The ACC badly needs a football reset. Or it could just jump directly into basketball season.

Rank: Florida State, 0-2, has been a mess. But what were the professional guessers in the media thinking when they placed the ‘Noles 10th in the preseason rankings? Anybody willing to explain?

Old-school: With the introduction of the 12-team playoff, the weekly Top 25 guesstimate rankings begin to look even more like an antique.

Name change: Reader Don Vtipil questions why, in this age of NIL, college players are still called student-athletes. He suggests “university employees.” I’m with him.

TV timeout: Seeing as how Tom Brady is making $37.5 million per year to work for Fox, let’s hope he’s not another analyst who talks like he’s being paid by the word.

He’ll be back: I’m not usually so free with my compliments for TV talking heads, but I thought Robert Griffin III, recently fired by ESPN, did a better job than most on panels or in game-day booths. Somebody will grab him up.

Camera ready: With Monday Night Football spots on the ManningCast, a weekly Friday ESPN show with Peyton and an analyst position on the CW Network’s “Inside the NFL,” Bill Belichick is giving every appearance of a guy getting over his media shyness.

Poor kid: Danger lurks around every corner … and ballfield. Croix Bethune, a midfielder for the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League and a member the U.S. Olympic gold-medal winners, recently threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Nationals game. And in the process, she suffered a torn meniscus that will sideline her the rest of the season.

What he said: Orioles TV voice Kevin Brown created a classic call this week when two players from the pitiable White Sox collided on a routine popup, allowing the ball to drop and three runs to score. “Oh no, oh my goodness,” Brown exclaimed, “the White Sox have just gone full White Sox.”

Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.

Mayo was 1 for 17 (.059) with three walks and two runs in seven games from Aug. 2-14, his first MLB appearances. The 22-year-old third baseman got his first hit in his final game, a single against the Nationals on Aug. 14.

He was in the lineup and batting sixth Sunday, when Baltimore was closing a three-game series against Colorado at Coors Field in Denver.

The Orioles also selected the contract of catcher David Banuelos from Norfolk. He can back up Adley Rutschman and James McCann with Baltimore.

Meanwhile, Baltimore designated outfielder Forrest Wall for assignment. He had sparked the Tides’ offense for much of their series against Jacksonville after switching clubhouses; the Orioles claimed him on waivers from the Miami Marlins, the Jumbo Shrimp’s parent club.

Also, Baltimore placed infielder Ramon Urias on the 10-day injured list with a right ankle sprain and reinstated pitcher Zach Eflin from the 15-day IL. He started Sunday’s game against the Rockies.

Saturday night, Trevor Rogers pitched far better in his second Norfolk start than in his first, but the Tides’ offense was held in check during a 3-1 loss to Jacksonville before 7,304 in Florida.

The Jumbo Shrimp (62-67, 27-27 in the International League’s second half) trimmed the Tides’ lead to 3-2 in a series that was to conclude Sunday. Norfolk dropped to 60-71, 24-32.

Norfolk’s Daniel Johnson led off the game with a home run to right field on the game’s second pitch, but the Tides never scored again. Shrimp “opener” Anthony Bender gave up two more hits but escaped further damage, and Luarbert Arias (6-6) pitched three shutout innings, striking out five, on his way to a victory.

Shrimp relievers Shaun Anderson, Brett de Geus and Elvis Alvarado held the Tides to two hits in the last five innings.

Rogers gave up just three hits and a walk in six innings, striking out five. Two of those hits were RBI singles in the third inning by Javier Sanoja and Deyvison De Los Santos.

It was a massive improvement from his first Tides start, in which the left-hander yielded 10 earned runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings Aug. 25 to Worcester at Harbor Park.

Acquired from the Marlins at the non-waiver trade deadline, Rogers was 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA in four starts with the Baltimore Orioles, prompting his demotion to the Triple-A Tides.

Sanoja drove in the Shrimp’s third run on a bases-loaded, two-out infield single off Brooks Kriske in the seventh inning.

For the second straight season, the Orioles have promoted a player in his age-19 season to Triple-A. In early September, after Samuel Basallo accrues about a week’s worth of Triple-A plate appearances, he’ll join an illustrious club — one that Jackson Holliday became a member of a year ago.

Basallo will soon become only the sixth top prospect since 2006 to reach Triple-A by his age-19 season and total at least 25 plate appearances there, according to FanGraphs. Before they became big leaguers and household names, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ozzie Albies achieved what Basallo is about to and what Holliday did last year.

Basallo, the Orioles’ No. 3 prospect, was officially promoted to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, continuing the catcher’s impressive rise through Baltimore’s farm system. About 16 months ago, the Dominican Republic native was beginning his first year of full-season ball with Low-A Delmarva. This week, he’ll begin his pursuit of a big-league call-up, which could realistically come next season. Each player on this list either debuted in the majors the year they reached Triple-A or the following one.

Since 2006, the year in which FanGraphs’ data begins, 19-year-old Harper was the first player to achieve the feat when in 2012 he played 21 games in Triple-A before joining the Washington Nationals. Harper and Holliday are the only players on this list to be drafted, each with the No. 1 selection — the former in 2010, the latter in 2022.

Basallo’s timeline is similar to those of his international counterparts. Acuña, Guerrero and Albies were also signed as international free agents and zoomed through the minors.

In 2017, Acuña hit .325 with an .896 OPS in his age-19 season to reach Triple-A, and the outfielder made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves the following year. Guerrero crushed Double- and Triple-A pitching to the tune of a 1.073 OPS in 2018 to earn his promotion to Triple-A. The Toronto Blue Jays called him up the next season. In Albies’ age-19 season, the shortstop hit .292 with a .778 OPS between the minors’ top two levels before debuting for the Braves the following year.

Three other low-level prospects — Yeyson Yrizarri, Robert Perez Jr. and Luis Vázquez — also achieved the feat, but they were not inside their teams’ top 10 prospect lists at the time and all returned to the lower minors in subsequent seasons.

The Orioles signed 16-year-old Basallo for a then-franchise-record $1.3 million international signing bonus in January 2021 — the headliner of the first major investment by the Mike Elias regime after decades of the organization largely passing over the Latin American market. In 2023, Basallo jumped from Low-A to Double-A in his first year of full-season ball. His 1.131 OPS in High-A was by far the best of any player in his age-18 season at the level since at least 2006 — ahead of Mike Trout (.821 in 2014) and Guerrero (.944 in 2017).

This year, Basallo overcame multiple injuries to hit .289 with an .820 OPS in 106 games, tallying 22 doubles, 16 homers and 55 RBIs. He split time between catcher and first base, and while the organization says it believes in his defense, his elite production at the plate could move him out from behind it. Basallo turned 20 earlier this month, but age seasons in baseball are determined by how old the player is on July 1. Thus 2024 is his age-19 campaign.

Baseball America ranks Basallo as the sport’s No. 17 prospect, and MLB Pipeline has him at No. 11. But FanGraphs’ top 100 list is even more bullish on Basallo, ranking the backstop at No. 3 — behind only Holliday and Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero. Holliday and Caminero are both expected to graduate from such status in the coming weeks, potentially giving the Orioles another No. 1 prospect by at least one major list’s estimation.

Elias perhaps had the opportunity to trade Basallo at the deadline, but he instead held on to his prized power hitter. In July, Elias said he views Basallo as a future “middle-of-the-order bat” — one that could slot in as a first baseman/designated hitter or as a catcher, forming a duo with Adley Rutschman.

“This kid is a pretty special talent,” Elias said.

But Basallo isn’t the only talented player in Baltimore’s farm system. That’s why each week, The Baltimore Sun breaks down five of the top performers in the Orioles’ prospect ranks and hands out some superlatives for those who didn’t make that cut.

1. Aberdeen C/1B Creed Willems: The No. 3 catcher in the Orioles’ system, Willems returned from a hamstring injury earlier this month and picked up where he left off at High-A. Over his past 13 games, the 2021 eighth-round draft pick slashed .275/.420/.475 — good for an .895 OPS. Willems, who Baseball America ranks No. 27 in Baltimore’s organization list, has 13 homers and a .788 OPS this year for the IronBirds.

2. Bowie RHP Cameron Weston: Weston’s 2.70 ERA across 90 frames between Aberdeen and Bowie ranks first among Orioles minor league pitchers with at least 65 innings pitched. Last week, the 2022 eighth-round draft pick delivered one of his best starts of the season, tossing five scoreless innings and striking out six while throwing a career-high 75 pitches. Weston didn’t open the season in Baltimore’s top 30, but his impressive campaign has since earned him a spot at No. 26.

3. Delmarva OF Austin Overn: Overn is one of four 2024 draftees to appear inside Baltimore’s top 30, coming in at No. 28 after the Orioles drafted him in the third round. The speedster has opened his professional career as expected, slashing .314/.435/.457 — good for an .892 OPS — in his first 10 games. Last week, the Southern California standout stole three bases in his first game and smacked four hits in his last.

4. Bowie OF Enrique Bradfield Jr.: Overn’s combination of speed and defensive ability make him an intriguing prospect, but the Orioles have one who scouts rate even better in both those tools. Earlier this month, Bradfield, the club’s 2023 first-round pick, was promoted to Double-A after putting up solid, but not spectacular, numbers in High-A. In 11 games with the Baysox, the speedster has proven that was the right move, hitting .318 with an .878 OPS, walking more times (eight) than he’s struck out (seven) and swiping six bases.

5. Norfolk RHP Brandon Young: Young was seen as a potential option to start for the Orioles on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” if the club wanted to continue giving its starting pitchers extra rest. Baltimore instead went with Dean Kremer on regular rest, keeping Young with Norfolk to start Saturday and tie his career-high with 10 strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. The 2020 undrafted free agent is becoming a frequent fixture in this space, headlining it two weeks ago after Elias said Young was on the general manager’s “radar screen” for a big league call-up. The 26-year-old sports a 3.57 ERA and an impressive 31.3% strikeout rate between Bowie and Norfolk this year, a bounce-back one after missing most of the previous two because of injury.

Top prospect not featured so far: Coby Mayo, the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect and the 12th-best in baseball, returned to the field last week after Baltimore demoted him to Triple-A. The 22-year-old picked up where he left off, going 6 for 21 with a homer and a triple. Mayo played four games at third base and two at first as he continues to work on his defense.

International acquisition of the week: In his age-19 season, Leandro Arias began the year in rookie ball and is now putting up solid numbers in High-A. The Orioles signed Arias, a middle infielder ranked No. 23 on Baltimore’s farm, for $600,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2022. In two weeks with the IronBirds, Arias is hitting .297 with a .747 OPS.

Time to give a shoutout to: Ryan Stafford was the second of four catchers Baltimore drafted in July, selecting the Cal Poly standout in the fifth round. In his first two weeks of professional ball, the 21-year-old is slashing .387/.512/.419 — good for a .931 OPS — with eight walks for Delmarva. He recorded his first three-hit game and smacked his first extra-base hit Sunday.

Short-season snippets: The season for Baltimore’s rookie ball clubs ended Saturday when the Dominican Summer League Orioles Orange team lost in the third and deciding game of the quarterfinals. That DSL club ended the regular season 38-18 and was led by Jordan Sanchez (.333 average, 1.037 OPS) and Stiven Martínez (.278 average, .883 OPS). The Orioles signed Sanchez, 18, out of Cuba in December, while Martínez, the organization’s No. 20 prospect in his age-16 season, signed for $950,000 out of the Dominican Republic.

Farm files

• Nick Avila, a 27-year-old right-hander the Orioles claimed off waivers in June, was released by the club Monday after designating him for assignment last week. Avila, who made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants earlier this season, struggled in three outings with Norfolk, allowing nine hits and 10 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

• The first 2024 draftee to reach High-A is the last one the Orioles selected. Right-hander Evan Yates, the club’s 20th-round pick, made his professional debut Saturday, striking out five in two innings for the IronBirds. The Cal State Fullerton standout pitched this summer for the Frederick Keys in MLB’s Draft League.

The slugging Norfolk Tides corner infielder went 1 for 17 (.059) in seven games with the Baltimore Orioles this month before being optioned back to Triple-A.

But Mayo, the second-ranked prospect in the system and the 10th-ranked prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.com, understands that failure is often part of the process. He’s seen it up close.

Mayo, 22, is the latest Orioles prospect to reach the major leagues and struggle out of the gate. Current Baltimore stars like Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser and, most recently, Jackson Holliday all had rocky beginnings to their big league careers.

Often, it’s making it back and sticking that’s the hardest part.

“You get a taste of it,” Mayo said. “Everyone wants to go up and go up and go up, and when you get there, sometimes it’s a big smack in the face. But I think you get to learn from it, come down here, fix those mistakes and go up and feel more comfortable.”

Mayo, a 2020 fourth-round draft pick out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Florida, entered Saturday’s game against Worcester hitting .299 with 21 home runs and 65 RBIs through 81 games with Norfolk. His .960 OPS ranks second in the International League.

So why didn’t Mayo’s Triple-A success transfer to the major leagues after his long-speculated promotion? The short answer: Playing in the big leagues is no joke.

“Honestly, it’s hard to explain because I think at times, people think the game is easy,” Tides manager Buck Britton said. “The gap between Triple-A and the big leagues is huge right now. Just the quality of arms that you see nightly up there, there’s no real days off. You look down here, those guys are throwing 88 miles an hour down here. Everybody’s throwing 96 up there, or 100. They have better command. They command the baseball with that stuff, so it’s a big gap.”

Few understand it better than Norfolk outfielder Daniel Johnson, who entered the weekend with 777 minor league games with 13 teams and 35 big league games under his belt.

Johnson, 29, played parts of two seasons in Cleveland after being drafted and traded by the Washington Nationals.

Johnson had a quick answer when asked the age-old question about which accomplishment is harder.

“Definitely staying in the big leagues,” he said. “Things happen. Some things are out of your control. But it’s definitely harder to stick in the big leagues. You can do everything right and (have it) still not go your way. So it’s one of those things.”

Primarily a third baseman who dabbles at first base, Mayo was sent back to work on his defense and use more of the field with his bat. He’s focusing on simplifying his load at the plate and, he said, “just trying to polish up some things.”

Not insignificant is the fact that Mayo was thrust into a pennant race; the Orioles entered Saturday 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.

The stakes are incomparable.

“I definitely think that there are nerves, no matter who you are,” Mayo said. “It’s a big stage. It’s different than Triple-A.

“All the little things matter. Everything’s being microscoped times a million over there. But that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You’re trying to chase a World Series, and that’s how it’s going to be.”

With the Orioles, reaching the fruition of a massive rebuild, in contention, prospects like Mayo stand less of a chance.

“We know that it’s hard, and when you’re in a playoff race, too, there’s not a very long leash,” Britton said. “If this was four or five years ago, you probably get to go up there and grind out some stuff and continue your development up there. But right now, it’s about winning games. And if you’re not one of the best 26, it’s kind of harsh, but they don’t really have time for it to come around. They need to win games because that’s what we’re trying to do, is win now.”

Veterans like Johnson, who has been through it, can dole out advice to young guys like Mayo.

Playing at the Triple-A level is inherently frustrating. Everyone is one call away, but sometimes the call never comes.

Johnson’s words of wisdom were simple.

“Just keep being the same person you were before,” he said he told Mayo. “Don’t change anything. Keep playing your same game, and the opportunity will come again. That’s something you can’t control. What you can control is how you play, how your attitude is. So control that while you can.”

Mayo said Holliday, who got off to a 2-for-34 start to his major league career before being optioned and returning with a vengeance, reminded him that he’s a .300 hitter in Triple-A.

Holliday, the organization’s top prospect, entered Saturday with five homers in 22 games since rejoining the Orioles on July 31. He added a pinch-hit, three-run double in the Orioles’ 3-2 comeback victory over the Houston Astros.

Mayo hopes to follow suit.

“You kind of know that when you go up there, you might have some failure,” Mayo said. “And I think the guys that go up and handle the failure the best will come back down here and work really hard and not be satisfied.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

The Tides (56-67, 20-28 in the International League’s second half) have lost eight of nine games. Worcester (61-61, 26-21) reached .500 for the first time since early in the year.

Baltimore returned Chesapeake native Colin Selby to the Tides after his impressive first stint with the Orioles. The former Western Branch High and Randolph-Macon College star pitched three scoreless innings over two appearances against the Mets in New York.

Perhaps the most noteworthy move nationally was the Orioles’ decision to demote Trevor Rogers, whom they acquired at the late July non-waiver trade deadline, to the Tides. The 26-year-old left-hander has posted a 7.11 ERA since Baltimore acquired him from Miami on July 30 in a deal that sent recent Tides mainstays Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby to the Marlins.

The Orioles promoted left-hander Nick Vespi (whose 3.18 ERA in 10 games with Baltimore is far better than his 7.71 Norfolk ERA) and right-hander Matt Bowman from the Tides and designated lefty Bruce Zimmermann for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Bowman. Zimmermann’s future with the Orioles is unclear.

Also, the Orioles activated former Miami infielder Emmanuel Rivera, whom they claimed on waivers Wednesday, and optioned infielder Livan Soto to the Tides. Soto had been on the Baltimore roster since Aug. 15, but didn’t appear in a game.

In Thursday’s sixth inning, reliever Levi Stoudt, who was making his Norfolk debut after being promoted from Double-A Bowie, yielded a home run to the first batter he faced, Eddy Alvarez. That broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Red Sox the lead for good.

Jud Fabian, in his third Norfolk game since being promoted from Bowie, clubbed a first-inning home run for his initial Triple-A hit, giving the Tides a 1-0 lead. Worcester pulled even on Bobby Dalbec’s homer in the fourth, but the Tides went ahead 3-1 later that inning against Worcester starter Quinn Priester. Nick Maton walked and scored on a double by Shayne Fontana, who came home on Maverick Handley’s single.

The Red Sox made it 3-3 in the fifth off Tides starter Tucker Davidson as Chase Meidroth tripled home Roman Anthony and scored on Nick Sogard’s sacrifice fly.

After Alvarez’s homer, Dalton Guthrie looped an RBI single in the sixth, and the Red Sox bullpen held the Tides scoreless. Brian Van Belle (6-2), who pitched 3 1/3 shutout innings, gained the win. Yohan Ramirez got the save despite seeing his apparent game-ending strikeout of Coby Mayo turned into walk via a video challenge.

Late Wednesday

Worcester 12, Norfolk 3: A seven-run second inning by the Red Sox all but decided the game before 4,777.

Norfolk’s few highlights included home runs by Daniel Johnson and Coby Mayo in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively.

Tides starter Justin Armbruester (3-9) gave up six earned runs, three walks and two hits in 1 1/3 innings, ballooning his ERA to 8.40.

Enmanuel Valdez drove in four runs for the Red Sox, three on a seventh-inning homer. Eddy Alvarez, who also homered in the seventh, scored two runs, as did Valdez, Nick Sogard and Reese McGuire.

Kristian Campbell had two hits and three RBIs, and Bobby Dalbec had two hits and two RBIs.

A big shadow: Taylor Heinicke’s legacy came up again this week when Grant Wilson was picked to be the first ODU quarterback to start back-to-back season openers since Heinicke three-peated between 2012 and ’14. One day, the school will put up a statue for Heinicke.

Blowing up: Too many calls to the Orioles’ bullpen lately have been wrong numbers.

Their legacy: After a slow start to the season, the Houston Astros are coming on strong. Time for America to grow suspicious again.

Coming attractions: A popular refrain is that college football fans will get used to former Pac-12 teams playing in the Big Ten. But some things you just shouldn’t have to get used to.

Anticipation: For how absurd this will look for the far-flung, new-age ACC, here’s hoping the conference football title runs through Dallas with SMU.

Back and forth: Social media squabbles between Olympic gold medal sprinter Noah Lyles and some NFL and NBA stars began with Lyles’ taunts. Unlike the planet’s fastest human, he contends, football and basketball domestic league winners have no business calling themselves “world champions.” A silly argument, but Lyles isn’t wrong.

Future watch: Given how long 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers has been away from the game, the start to his season will feature a tug of war between rest and rust.

A look back: The news that at 24 years, 195 days, Denver’s Bo Nix will be the fifth-oldest rookie quarterback to start an NFL season recalls that Roger Staubach was 27 in 1969 when he left the Navy to join the Cowboys. Staubach’s career is one of football’s great stories.

Reader response: Bob from Hampton wonders why Oklahoma State football players need a QR code on their helmets that links to a donation page for the school’s NIL fund. “Why not skip all that,” he said, “and have some guy on the sidelines with a paper bag full of cash to hand out to a player who scores a touchdown?”

The long game: Further proof that devotedly following a college basketball team can keep you young, Loyola of Chicago March Madness celebrity Sister Jean turned 105 this week.

Tennis economics: A first-round loser at the U.S. Open earns $100,000, often a lifeline for journeymen and women.

Copycats: With the debut of a 12-team College Football Playoff, ESPN is borrowing from basketball to introduce a Bubble Watch, to be updated each week, predicting who gets first-round byes, the first four out, the next four out and so forth. Because this thing just can’t be hyped enough.

Just asking: When the transfer portal produces college football rosters that are 50% new each season, who can know anything?

PG TV: If you’re tuning in to HBO’s “Hard Knocks” featuring the Chicago Bears’ training camp, you may have noticed that something’s missing from this year’s series — profanity. Naughty words have been left on the cutting-room floor, producers say, out of respect for the McCaskey family, owners of the Bears. Well, then, why not edit out language in future seasons so parents can watch with their children?

Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.

Rogers was optioned along with right-hander Colin Selby — a former Western Branch High star — and infielder Livan Soto. The Orioles also selected the contract of right-hander Matt Bowman and recalled left-hander Nick Vespi from Norfolk and activated infielder Emmanuel Rivera, who was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

Baltimore was a half-game behind the first-place New York Yankees entering Thursday. The Orioles’ pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries to the rotation, and the bullpen has been unreliable of late. Baltimore lost two of three to the Mets in New York, with both defeats coming on ninth-inning home runs.

The Orioles sent Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby — two prospects with big-league experience — to Miami in exchange for Rogers. The lefty is 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA since joining Baltimore.

The Orioles also designated left-hander Bruce Zimmermann for assignment.

Selby, who has given up six earned runs in nine innings of relief with the Tides, was called up as left-handed starter Cade Povich was sent back to Norfolk.

The former Randolph-Macon standout is 2-2 with an 8.67 ERA in 27 MLB innings — 24 for Pittsburgh and three for Kansas City.

The Stripers (58-62, 23-22 in the International League’s second half) had won every previous contest in the series in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and they erased most of a 7-1 deficit before succumbing to the Tides (56-64, 20-25). Luis González got the save despite yielding a two-run, two-out homer to Drake Baldwin in the ninth.

Brandon Young (4-3) continued his solid season, gaining with win by striking out six in 5 2/3 innings. He gave up four hits, including Yuri Gurriel’s solo homer in the second, and a walk.

Stripers starter Allan Winans (5-4) took the loss, yielding four earned runs and eight hits in five innings despite six strikeouts.

J.D. Davis scored three runs, Terrin Vavra scored two and drove in two, belting a solo homer in the fifth, and Shayne Fontana was 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Gwinnett’s Alejo Lopez and Baldwin each had two hits and three RBIs.

The Tides will return home to Harbor Park for Tuesday’s 6:35 “Turn Back the Clock Night” game against the Worcester Red Sox.

Jake Cave, Carson DeMartini, Andre Lipcius and Alex Mauricio have been among the top recent performers, but some players have been released.

The numbers

(listed in alphabetical order, with jersey number, name: position, level, team, organization)

BATTERS

14 Ethan Anderson: C, A, Delmarva, Orioles; 2 games, .000 (0 for 8), 0 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .111 OPS.

11 Justice Bigbie: LF, AAA, Toledo, Tigers; 104 games, .245 (91 for 371), 45 R, 3 HR, 38 RBI, .682 OPS.

11 Jake Cave: OF, MLB, Colorado, Rockies; 98 games, .259 (63 for 243), 33 R, 6 HR, 31 RBI, .710 OPS.

22 Matt Coutney: 1B, AA, Rocket City, Angels; 8 games, .185 (5 for 27), 4 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .563 OPS; promoted July 29 from High-A, Tri-City, where he had stats of 91 games, .270 (91 for 337), 57 R, 8 HR, 42 RBI, .771 OPS.

29 Joe Delossantos: OF, A, Tampa, Yankees: 7 games, .200 (4 for 20), 1 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .635 OPS.

8 Carson DeMartini: SS, A, Clearwater, Phillies: 8 games, .323 (10 for 31), 9 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .916 OPS.

29 Hunter Fitz-Gerald: 3B, High-A, Everett, Mariners; 58 games, .281 (59 for 210), 23 R, 6 HR, 28 RBI, .799 OPS.

9 Andy Garriola: LF, High-A, South Bend, Cubs; 7 games, .375 (9 for 24), 6 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1.233 OPS. Promoted Aug. 7 from A, Myrtle Beach, where his stats were 90 games, .241 (80 for 332), 49 R, 18 HR, 72 RBI, .794 OPS.

16 P.J. Higgins: C, AAA, Louisville, Reds; 103 games, .261 (102 for 391), 42 R, 10 HR, 54 RBI, .724 OPS.

27 Andre Lipcius: 2B, AAA, Oklahoma City, Dodgers; 09 games, .283 (124 for 438), 71 R, 21 HR, 72 RBI, .844 OPS.

8 Brandon Lowe: 2B/OF, MLB, Tampa Bay, Rays; 71 games, .249 (61 for 245), 36 R, 14 HR, 44 RBI, .826 OPS.

30 Nathaniel Lowe: 1B, MLB, Texas, Rangers; 99 games, .257 (89 for 346), 45 R, 10 HR, 48 RBI, .738 OPS.

9 Vinnie Pasquantino: 1B, MLB, Kansas City, Royals; 117 games, .259 (113 for 437), 53 R, 17 HR, 85 RBI, .757 OPS.

49 Chase Pinder: CF, AAA, Sacramento, Giants; 20 games, .250 (16 for 64), 8 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .744 OPS. On the 60-day injured list.

3 Chris Taylor: IF, MLB, Los Angeles, Dodgers; 64 games, .167 (27 for 162), 17 R, 3 HR, 15 RBI, .542 OPS. On the 10-day injured list.

15 Fenwick Trimble: SS, A, Jupiter, Marlins; 9 games, .297 (11 for 37), 4 R, 0 HR, 6 RBI, .694 OPS.

6 Bryce Windham: C/2B, AAA, Iowa, Cubs; 68 games, .260 (59 for 227), 25 R, 2 HR, 20 RBI, .716 OPS. On the “voluntary retired” list since Aug. 2.

14 Ben Williamson: 3B, AA, Arkansas, Mariners; 71 games, .256 (67 for 262), 32 R, 2 HR, 26 RBI, .693 OPS; promoted May 15 from High-A Everett, where he had stats of 29 games, .315 (35 for 111), 16 R, 1 HR, 21 RBI, .867 OPS.

28 Alsander Womack: 2B, AA, Birmingham, White Sox; 44 games, .214 (28 for 131), 20 R, 1 HR, 12 RBI, .539 OPS. Released Aug. 4.

32 Jared Young: 1B, AAA, Memphis, Cardinals; 74 games, .285 (67 for 235), 46 R, 11 HR, 35 RBI, .917 OPS. Released July 30.

PITCHERS

38 Sam Armstrong: AA, Tennessee, Cubs; 5 G (4 starts), 0-2, 4.50 ERA, 22 IP, 22 H, 8 BB, 18 K. Promoted July 19 from High-A South Bend, where his stats were 17 G (11 starts), 3-4, 3.00 ERA, 66 IP, 54 H, 22 BB, 66 K.

29 Noah Dean: High-A, Greenville, Red Sox; 4 G (1 start), 0-0, 5.11 ERA, 12 1/3 IP, 10 H, 10 BB, 21 K. Promoted July 23 from Class-A Salem, where his stats were 15 G (13 starts), 2-3, 3.96 ERA, 61 1/3 IP, 28 H, 31 BB, 86 K.

24 Blake Dickerson: Rookie, Florida Complex League, Tigers; 10 G (5 starts), 0-0, 3.33 ERA, 24 1/3 IP, 15 H, 16 BB, 20 K. On the 7-day injured list.

37 Graham Firoved: High-A, Aberdeen, Orioles; 31 G (0 starts), 1-7, 5.35 ERA, 38 2/3 IP, 33 H, 34 BB, 42 K.

31 Trey Gibson: High-A, Aberdeen, Orioles; 5 G (4 starts), 1-2, 3.15 ERA, 20 IP, 16 H, 10 BB, 18 K.
Promoted July 9 from Class-A Delmarva, where his stats were 16 G (9 starts), 1-5, 3.40 ERA, 55 2/3 IP, 41 H, 24 BB, 81 K.

32 Hunter Gregory: AA, New Hampshire, Blue Jays; 35 G (1 start), 5-3, 5.31 ERA, 61 IP, 58 H, 29 BB, 74 K.

38 Josh Grosz: High-A, Hudson Valley, Yankees; 3 G (3 starts), 2-1, 3.07 ERA, 14 2/3 IP, 8 H, 13 BB, 5 K. Promoted Aug. 6 from A, Tampa, where his stats were 15 G (14 starts), 3-5, 4.19 ERA, 73 IP, 69 H, 27 BB, 93 K.

40 Daniel Hudson: MLB, Los Angeles, Dodgers; 50 G (0 starts), 6-1, 2.02 ERA, 49 IP, 31 H, 11 BB, 50 K.

41 Daniel Lynch IV: AAA, Omaha, Royals; 20 G (20 starts), 7-1, 3.57 ERA, 113 1/3 IP, 114 H, 30 BB, 87 K. With MLB Kansas City, 5 G (3 starts), 0-0, 6.35 ERA, 22 2/3 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 15 K.

56 Alex Mauricio: AAA, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Yankees; 27 G (0 starts), 3-0, 2.00 ERA, 36 IP, 26 H, 21 BB, 40 K. Also pitched 1 scoreless, hitless inning for AA Somerset in April.

71 Connor Overton: AAA, Louisville, Reds; 3 G (0 starts), 0-0, 10.00 ERA, 9 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 4 K. On rehab assignment in Rookie league, 6 G (4 starts), 1-1, 3.86 ERA, 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K. Then in rehab assignment with High-A Dayton, 2 games (1 start), 0-0, 7.20 ERA, 5 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 8 K.

60 Colin Selby: AAA, Norfolk, Orioles; combining AAA stats with Omaha (Royals) and Indianapolis (Pirates), 25 G (0 starts), 2-2, 5.47 ERA, 26 1/3 IP, 22 H, 13 BB, 34 K. With Norfolk, 9 G (0 starts), 0-1, 6.00 ERA, 9 IP, 10 H, 5 BB, 11 K.

51 Garrett Stallings: AAA, Nashville, Brewers; 12 G (5 starts), 1-2, 5.14 ERA, 42 IP, 44 H, 19 BB, 33 K. Traded by Baltimore to Milwaukee on May 25. With AAA Norfolk, 11 G (4 starts), 0-1, 5.67 ERA, 27 IP, 31 H, 13 BB, 25 K.

35 Justin Verlander: MLB, Houston, Astros; 10 G (10 starts), 3-2, 3.95 ERA, 57 IP, 52 H, 17 BB, 51 K. On rehab with Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land (combined), 4 G (4 starts), 0-2, 8.36 ERA, 14 IP, 20 H, 4 BB, 17 K.

45 Cory Wall: High-A, Rome, Braves; 22 G (9 starts), 3-3, 3.02 ERA, 65 2/3 IP, 56 H, 18 BB, 66 K. Promoted from Class-A Augusta on May 27. With Augusta, 1 G (0 starts), 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K.

56 Ryan Yarbrough: MLB, Toronto, Blue Jays; 3 G (0 starts), 0-0, 9.82 ERA, 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K. Traded July 31 from Los Angeles Dodgers, where his stats were 32 G (0 starts), 4-2, 3.74 ERA, 67 1/3 IP, 52 H, 25 BB, 39 K.

Where they’re from

BATTERS

Ethan Anderson: Virginia Beach (Cox High), UVA.

Justice Bigbie: Chesapeake (Grassfield High), Western Carolina.

Jake Cave: Hampton (Kecoughtan High and Hampton Christian Academy), Peninsula Pilots.

Matt Coutney: Old Dominion.

Joe Delossantos: William & Mary.

Carson DeMartini: Virginia Beach (Ocean Lakes High), Virginia Tech.

Hunter Fitz-Gerald: Old Dominion.

Andy Garriola: Old Dominion.

P.J. Higgins: Old Dominion.

Andre Lipcius: Lafayette High, Tennessee.

Brandon Lowe: Suffolk (Nansemond River High), Maryland (Newport News native).

Nathaniel Lowe: Born in Norfolk.

Vinnie Pasquantino: James River High, Old Dominion.

Chase Pinder: Poquoson High, Clemson.

Chris Taylor: Virginia Beach (Cox), U.Va.

Fenwick Trimble: Virginia Beach (Cox), James Madison.

Ben Williamson: William & Mary.

Bryce Windham: Old Dominion.

Alsander Womack: Norfolk State.

Jared Young: Old Dominion.

PITCHERS

Sam Armstrong: Old Dominion.

Noah Dean: Old Dominion.

Joe Delossantos: William & Mary.

Blake Dickerson: Virginia Beach (Ocean Lakes).

Graham Firoved: Virginia Beach (First Colonial), Radford, Virginia Tech.

Trey Gibson: Grafton High, Liberty University.

Hunter Gregory: Chesapeake (Hickory), Old Dominion.

Josh Grosz: Virginia Beach (Cox), East Carolina.

Daniel Hudson: Virginia Beach (Princess Anne), Old Dominion.

Daniel Lynch: Hampton native, Douglas Freeman High, UVA.

Alex Mauricio: Norfolk State.

Connor Overton: Old Dominion.

Colin Selby: Chesapeake (Western Branch), Randolph-Macon.

Garrett Stallings: Chesapeake (Grassfield).

Justin Verlander: Old Dominion.

Cory Wall: William & Mary.

Ryan Yarbrough: Old Dominion.

Mayo, 22, is the No. 12 overall prospect in the sport, according to Baseball America. The 2020 fourth-round pick out of Parkland, Florida, showcased tremendous power in Triple-A with 20 home runs in 77 games this season to earn his first call-up to the majors on Aug. 2, but he struggled with Baltimore, hitting .059 with 10 strikeouts in 20 plate appearances. Mayo also recorded an error at third base and had an up-and-down experience in the field overall.

“This coaching staff and this organization as a whole has done a great job throughout the minor leagues preparing us for this moment,” Mayo said Thursday of being the latest Orioles prospect to get off to a slow start. “Struggling comes with every level. If you don’t struggle at first, you’re going to struggle at some point, and hopefully this is the right step forward and it gets me going.”

As Orioles teammates such as Jackson Holliday (2-for-34 start to his career) and Colton Cowser (7 for 61) have shown, a tough first MLB experience doesn’t necessarily reflect on their long-term potential. Mayo had an encouraging performance Thursday, roping a line-drive single to left field to end an 0-for-16 start to his Orioles tenure. He also drew a walk, came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Adley Rutschman and recorded a pair of impressive plays at third base — though in one of them, he pulled first baseman Ryan Mountcastle into the baseline with his throw.

“They’re going to keep throwing those pitches until you prove you can hit them,” Mayo said of what he’s seen from MLB pitching so far. “That slider down and away, or the change-ups down and away, they’re going to keep throwing them. Something a bit away from me. I got the one moving into me tonight, and I was able to capitalize on it for a hit. But they’re going to keep doing it until you prove that you can do it otherwise. It’s the best level in the world. There’s no level higher than this and there’s a reason why they’re here.”

Soto, 24, returns to Baltimore for his second stint since being acquired from the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline last month. The Orioles have claimed him off waivers and released Soto twice this season, but he has yet to appear in a game for their major league ballclub.