Minor league notes on Cedric Mullins, Mike Yastrzemski, Andy Oliver and more

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Single-A Delmarva outfielder Cedric Mullins has recorded four straight multi-hit games for the Shorebirds as his bat has heated up after a slow start.

The Orioles' 13th-round pick out of Campbell University last June, the 5-foot-8 switch-hitter reported to short-season Single-A Aberdeen after last year's draft and hit .264 in 68 games.

Over his past four games with Delmarva, he is batting .647 (11-for-17) with three doubles, a triple, home run, four runs scored, and two RBIs. That has raised his average from .233 to .285 for the year. He is now batting .358 in May after hitting .214 in June.

A few other notes from the farm:

* Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Andy Oliver pitched three scoreless innings of relief last night, extending his scoreless streak to five games and 13 1/3 innings. He has made 11 appearances (two starts) this season, pitching to a 1.01 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 26 2/3 innings.

* Norfolk outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has hit safely in three of his four games with the Tides since moving up from Double-A Bowie. He is batting .294/.333/.588 (5-for-17) with a walk, triple, home run, three runs scored, and three RBIs.

* Bowie catcher Chance Sisco has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, batting .359/.429/.410 (14-for-39) in that span. The 21-year-old Sisco ranks first in the Eastern League in batting average (.337) and second in OBP (.444). He has also thrown out 38 percent of attempting base stealers to rank third in the league.

* Bowie outfielder Tucker Nathans extended his hitting streak to 10 games Thursday. He is batting (.308/.357/.513) during the streak at 12-for-39.

* Frederick's Aderlin Rodriguez is batting .337/.400/.593 (29-for-86) with four doubles, six home runs, 12 runs scored, and 21 RBIs over his last 22 games. His eight home runs are the second-most in the Carolina League.

* Delmarva shortstop Ryan Mountcastle is hitting .386 in May. Over his last 17 games, Mountcastle has raised his batting average 110 points from .154 to .264 by hitting .383 at 23-for-60.

Orioles minor league leaders in RBIs:
30 - Mike Yastrzemski, Norfolk
28 - Aderlin Rodriguez, Frederick
27 - Christian Walker, Norfolk
22 - Yermin Mercedes, Delmarva
21 - Alex Murphy, Delmarva

This could be fun: For those of you on the east coast staying up late the next two nights, I'll have coverage here on the blog of the Orioles and Angels in Anaheim. Among the many interesting story lines this weekend is the fact that two of the game's best young players will be on the same field for the next three days.

As the series begins, Manny Machado's bat has cooled a bit while Mike Trout is heating up. Machado is 2-for-24 his past six games after a stretch where he produced nine multi-hit games over 13 contests. Trout is batting .458 (11-for-24) his past six games.