Orioles' Triple-A Affiliate Scores 26 Runs, Hits 8 Home Runs in Record-Setting Win

The Baltimore Orioles have the top farm system in baseball according to MLB.com's rankings, and it was fairly clear why on Wednesday.

Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides, exploded for 26 runs in a 26-11 victory over the Charlotte Knights on Wednesday. ESPN noted the performance set Tides team records for runs, hits (29) and home runs (eight).

Kyle Stowers launched three of those long balls, while Heston Kjerstad added two with a 5-for-7 night and 10 RBI. Jackson Holliday, who is the No. 1 overall prospect on MLB.com's rankings, set the table at the top of the order with four hits and five runs scored.

Norfolk is off to quite the start to the season with a 4-1 record and 13 runs per game. The only time it failed to score double-digit runs was its 17-5 loss to the Durham Bulls on Sunday.

Baltimore has four prospects in the top 31 of MLB.com's rankings, underscoring how bright the future is for the American League East team.

The present is also bright, though, as it is coming off an American League East crown at 101-61, which was just its second division title since the 1997 campaign. It also won its first two series of the year against the Los Angeles Angels and Kansas City Royals and sits at 4-2 in the early portion of the 2024 campaign.