BALTIMORE -- It’s not always easy to evaluate trades until some substantial time has passed. The Orioles may have lost an All-Star closer when they dealt Jorge López to the Twins at the Trade Deadline last August, but they received four Minor League pitchers in return.

That trade is looking quite good for Baltimore now, with Yennier Cano having emerged as one of the most dominant relievers in the Majors. It could look even better once Cade Povich arrives in the big leagues.

Povich, the O’s No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was viewed by many as the centerpiece of the return package. Early in his first full year in Baltimore’s organization, the 23-year-old left-hander has shown why, posting a 3.38 ERA over his first six starts for Double-A Bowie.

On Thursday, Povich recorded a season-high-tying 10 strikeouts over five scoreless innings in Bowie’s 11-2 win at Harrisburg. He previously fanned 10 in five scoreless frames vs. Richmond on April 29, a performance that earned him Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors.

Povich, whose four-pitch mix is headlined by a 55-grade changeup, has shown encouraging progress after posting a 6.94 ERA in six games (five starts) for Bowie last year in his first taste of Double-A. Now that he’s having success at the level, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him move up to Triple-A Norfolk later this season.

“We like just about everything about him,” Orioles director of player development Matt Blood said during Spring Training. “He’s got the makeup and the profile of a starting pitcher. He’s got multiple weapons. He’s got a real sort of confident, steady demeanor about him. He throws strikes, attacks batters, very competitive. He’s a very composed and well-put-together left-handed starter prospect.”

Tides continue to be Triple-A juggernaut
Entering Sunday, Triple-A Norfolk’s 28-9 record was the best not only in the International League, but across all levels of Minor League Baseball. The Tides have been nearly unbeatable in May, winning nine of their first 11 games. And they averaged 7.1 runs per contest through 37 games this season.

“What’s cool is that a lot of those guys are prospects,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde recently said. “It’s not a lot of veteran guys that have been up and down in Triple-A and the big leagues for six or seven years. It’s a pretty young offensive Triple-A club. Awesome to see that they’re swinging the bat the way they are.”

Colton Cowser (Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect and No. 32 overall) was slashing .333/.471/.568 after going 3-for-4 with a double, two walks and four runs scored in Norfolk’s 13-10 win at Jacksonville on Saturday night. Jordan Westburg (O’s No. 4 prospect and No. 64 overall) belted his team-leading 10th home run in that victory, during which he went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs scored and two walks to improve his slash line to .313/.385/.602.

Joey Ortiz (O’s No. 7 prospect and No. 87 overall) was also putting up big offensive numbers prior to getting called up by the Orioles on Sunday. He homered for the third time in nine games when he went deep in Thursday’s 3-1 win at Jacksonville, and he was slashing .320/.371/.524 entering Sunday.

More Minors happenings
• Jackson Holliday (O’s No. 2 prospect and No. 8 overall) has recorded at least one hit in 11 of his past 13 games for High-A Aberdeen. The 19-year-old entered Sunday slashing .302/.431/.491 in 15 contests since his promotion to the IronBirds.

• Heston Kjerstad (O’s No. 5 prospect and No. 69 overall) went deep again in Double-A Bowie’s win at Harrisburg on Tuesday. His nine home runs (entering Sunday) were tied for second most in the Eastern League this season.

• Samuel Basallo (O’s No. 11) is swinging a hot bat for Single-A Delmarva. The 18-year-old catcher collected three hits on both Wednesday and Friday, then belted his fourth homer of the season in the Shorebirds’ 5-4 loss at Down East on Saturday. He was slashing .330/.363/.547 through 26 games entering Sunday.