Baysox Notebook: Bowie Offense Still Struggling

Just a week after it appeared Bowie’s offense had started to hit its stride, the Baysox once again find themselves struggling to consistently produce offense.

Bowie (8-8) has been limited to five runs or less in five of its last seven games and hasn’t scored more than seven runs since its . The Baysox have been held to three runs or less four times during that same span.

Although outfielder Robbie Widlansky has gotten hot during the last week, Bowie has just three hitters batting .270 or better—Widlansky (.315), Jeff Fiorentino (.295) and Caleb Joseph (.270). The other 10 Baysox that have seen action thus far, all in at least two games, are batting .259 or worse, including five that are hitting .200 or worse.

Center fielder Xavier Avery, a second-round pick of the Orioles in 2008, leads Bowie in stolen bases (12), but has just a .200 batting average. Shortstop Greg Miclat, meanwhile, a fifth-round selection in that same draft class, is just 8-of-50 (.160) to start the year.

Bowie is batting just .233 as a team.

Widlansky, though, is 7-of-12 (.583) during the last three games with four extra-base hits (three doubles, one home run) and eight RBI during that stretch. He was 4-of-4 with one run scored, two doubles, a home run and all five of the Baysox’s RBI in .

PELZER EXCELLING AS STARTER

Right-handed pitcher Wynn Pelzer, who the Orioles acquired from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Miguel Tejada last July, has posted two straight scoreless starts after spending the beginning part of the season, and most of his time with the Baysox last year, coming out of the bullpen.

The power-throwing 23-year old tossed five shutout innings, allowing just one hit, in after limiting Erie to only one hit over four scoreless innings in his previous start Apr. 14, another Baysox win.

Pelzer is 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA, 13 strikeouts and eight walks in four appearances, two of which came as a reliever, this year.

He was 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 10 games, only one of which he started, with Bowie last season.

Pelzer was a ninth-round pick of the Padres in 2007.

MAHONEY EXPECTED BACK SOON

First baseman Joe Mahoney, the Orioles’ 2010 minor league Player of the Year, has missed the last 14 games with a quad injury but could return to the lineup as soon as Monday, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

A sixth-round pick of the Orioles in 2007, the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Mahoney hit .319 with 12 doubles, nine home runs and 29 RBI in 52 games with the Baysox last season after being promoted from Single-A Frederick. Prior to being promoted, Mahoney batted .299 with 18 doubles, nine home runs and 49 RBI in 72 games with the Keys.

He was just 1-of-7 to start this season before getting hurt Apr. 9.