Tag Archives: Colton Cowser

The Baltimore Orioles played at a retooled Camden Yards this afternoon behind an outstanding effort by Kyle Bradish against Washington. The game didn’t count, to be clear. But it sure felt like a regular season game. Bradish’s line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K.

It was tough to remind yourself that this is technically a Grapefruit League game. It felt like the middle of May in terms of the weather. And the game itself.

The O’s took the lead in the last of the second on a solo home run by Colton Cowser. One inning later it was Gunnar Henderson’s solo homer that doubled the lead at 2-0. This while Bradish was dealing.

Bradish is going to be key this year. The O’s need him to have a full and a good season. Today doesn’t count. But it was a good start.

Colton Cowser provided a lot of the offense today. He walked in a run also in the last of the sixth. Later in the inning Blaze Alexander was hit by a pitch, again with the bases juiced. The O’s walked in another run immediately after with Gunnar Henderson, and they led 5-0.

Washington decided to try to get into the game in the seventh, with a solo homer by Lile. However the O’s would put two on in the eight, including a HPB for Luis Vasquez – who left the game, and was NOT happy about it. However Jeremiah Jackson followed that up with a three-run home run, cementing the Birds’ 8-1 win against Washington.

The Vasquez incident is of concern. He felt he was on the precipice of being on the Opening Day roster. He still could be, but the injury will certainly play a role. On a side note, I like this “new” home-and-home series with Washington to end the spring. It gets both teams home slightly earlier, and it’s good for the fans.

The Orioles will close spring training tomorrow afternoon against Washington at Nationals Park. Shane Baz gets the start for the Birds, and Washington is yet to announce a starter. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles limped into the south side of Chicago last night after being swept by Toronto over the weekend. In the baddest part of town, Kyle Bradish got the start in the first game of three at Rate Field. Bradish’s line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 9 H.

Bradish allowed a leadoff walk in the first inning. Only problem was that ball four should have been strike three. Only problem a full count, Bradish appeared to hit the strike zone. But home plate umpire Chad Whitson called it a ball. That runner would later score on Mead’s RBI-single.

That’s sort of a microcosm of how things have gone for the O’s this year. Now it might be fair to say that Oriole pitchers (including Bradish last night) have shied away from totally attacking the strike zone. And maybe umpires aren’t taking kindly to guys trying to gerrymander their way into strikes in a sense. However a strike should be a strike.

But two can play at that game – walks, that is. The O’s put two on by way of a base on balls in the third. Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI-single would tie the game at one.

The O’s would also get two on in the sixth, one on a walk and another on a base hit. That brought Colton Cowser to the plate, who proceeded to smack a three-run homer. That gave the Birds a 4-1 lead, and put Bradish in line for the win.

And the Oriole bullpen delivered that win. They didn’t allow a base runner the rest of the way. After nine, the O’s had themselves a win.

The series continues this evening at Rate Field. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Chicago’s Shane Smith. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

Tomoyuki Sugano was solid (ish) for the Baltimore Orioles tonight against Boston at Camden Yards. He put the Birds in a spot to win the game, which is the goal of a starter. Could he have been better? Yes. But he sufficed. Sugano’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

Boston took an early lead when Anthony smacked a pitch out of the ballpark during the first at-bat of the game. But Sugano seemed to settle, despite being thrown off kilter early on. Luckily Colton Cowser tied the game in the second with a solo homer of his own.

Cowser would come to the plate again an inning later in the third, and he would do so with the bases loaded. His two-RBI single would give the Orioles. 3-1 lead. However Boston wasn’t finished either.

Duran would come up in the fifth with two on, and would deliver. His three-run home run gave Boston a 4-3 lead. And the Orioles had no response – save for one thing.

Dylan Carlson and the O’s caught a break on his lead off double in the seventh. The ball hit third base umpire Nick Mahrley, and Carlson ended up at second base. Luis Vasquez promptly laid down a bunt back to the pitcher, who threw to third to get Carlson, who was ruled safe.

However Boston challenged the play. Unequivocally, it was a close play – a bang-bang play. The call on the field was safe, which would have given the Orioles runners at the corners with nobody out.

Replays appeared to show that the runner could be out. But was it conclusive? Needless to say, the umpiring crew thought it was. The call was overturned, and the O’s were out of their best chance at evening the score.

My personal opinion is that the runner was probably out. But was there enough evidence to overturn the call on the field? That’s the real question regarding instant replay. It’s not necessarily whether the call should be safe or out. Everything else be damned, it’s supposed to be whether or not the call on the field was overturned.

In my assessment, NO, in this instance there WAS NOT sufficient evidence to overturn the call on the field. So the call should have stood, despite me in the same breath saying that the runner was out. Yes folks, this stuff isn’t easy. We do ourselves a disservice by suggesting that it is, and if the right call is made that’s the goal. Everything else be damned.

If there’s not enough evidence to overturn the call on the field, the call needs to stand. The way we’re supposed to do things is that these are the rules and regulations, and you can’t make exceptions. Yet Boston seemed to get the benefit of the doubt on the call. It was no guarantee that the Orioles would have scored in that sequence of events. But every little bit helps.

The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Kyle Bradish will make his season debut and make the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Boston’s Lucas Giolito. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Cade Povich wasn’t the only Baltimore Orioles pitcher who struggled in last night’s game against Houston at Camden Yards. Heck, he wasn’t the only pitcher on either side who struggled. It was just one of those games in a sense. Povich’s line: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R (4 earned), 2 BB, 5 K.

Houston took a 1-0 lead in the second as a result of two errors – one of which was on Povich. McCormick tried to sacrifice two runners into scoring position, and Povich overthrew him at first allowing a run to score. To make matters worse, Pena smacked a three-run homer in the aftermath, and the Orioles trailed 4-0.

And that really shows that you can’t allow mistakes to balloon. That inning started with a walk, and then a second runner got on by way of an error, before that aforementioned sequence with Povich. And the Orioles were held accountable.

But they also fought back. Alex Jackson’s RBI-single in the fourth inning cut the lead to 4-1 But Houston wasn’t above mistakes either. With two on later in the inning, Jeremiah Jackson sent a deep fly to right, and Houston’s right fielder Smith misplayed the ball. In short, it was in his glove and popped out, allowing two runs to score and cutting the lead to 4-3.

That was ruled a double, but my personal opinion was that it should be an error. The ball was in his glove. It was a tough play, but it seemed more routine than extraordinary. Either way two runs scored.

Povich was lifted in the fifth with two on and one out. Interestingly, Tony Mansolino went to a leverage reliever early, that being Yennier Cano – who surrendered a three-run home run to Walker. Houston had its four-run lead back at 7-3.

But the O’s chipped back. They loaded the bases in the sixth, and Jackson Holliday’s fielder’s choice-RBI cut it to 7-4. Similar results with Jeremiah Jackson, cutting it to 7-5. One inning later Colton Cowser smacked a very loud solo homer which went a long way, and the Orioles were back to within one at 7-6.

However Houston would add three more in the eighth. Two of them came on a two-RBI double by Caratini, a pinch hitter, which was just barely out of the reach of Jeremiah Jackson in right field. Every button Houston pushed last night worked. But needless to say, the Orioles are never out of a game like this. And they came close.

The series continues this evening at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Houston’s Cristian Javier. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles had little business winning last night’s game in Texas. between Texas taking momentum at key moments and just about everything going wrong, somehow they seemed ticketed for a loss. This despite Trevor Rogers giving them a solid outing. Rogers’ line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K.

Catcher Chadwick Tromp pulled up lame while lining out to end the second inning. He was obviously injured, but tried to stay in the game – to his credit. Eventually he was lifted, and diagnosed with a lower back strain. He’s expected to be out on the IL today.

That’s yet another catcher going on the shelf. It’s somewhat unbelievable. It also provided an even bigger challenge in the moment, as Gary Sanchez was the DH last night. Meaning he had to come into catch, and the O’s had to surrender their DH for the rest of the game.

Ironically, it was Sanchez who gave the Orioles the lead. He came up with the bases loaded and nobody out in the third, and he cleared the bases with a double. This putting the O’s ahead 3-0.

That set a tone for the game. At each stage of this crazy game, the Birds may have been in a tough spot at times. But they never felt out of it. For what it’s worth, Rogers never took the bat off his shoulders in his two at-bats, which seemed pre-conceived. I suspect the Orioles didn’t want him hurt on the base paths or swinging through a pitch.

Rogers surrendered a two-run homer to Semien in the sixth before being lifted. Helman would draw a two-out walk in the seventh and promptly steal second base, taking third on an errant Gary Sanchez throw. Only…he didn’t stop at third. He went for home, and made it. This tied the game at three.

The Orioles are at times too by the book. Conventional wisdom says you stop at third on that play. But perhaps Helman caught the Orioles so off guard by not having stopped, he forced them to make a perfect throw – which they couldn’t do. The element of surprise can do that.

Gary Sanchez is also struggling to hold runners on, and Texas took advantage last night, it was no mystery that they were running on everything. Eventually the Orioles stopped throwing and all but gave runners second base.

With a runner at second in the eighth, Bryan Baker surrendered an infield single up the middle to Garcia. Jackson Holliday knocked it down, holding the runner at third. Baker proceeded to strike the next two hitters out, ending the inning. Massive play there by Holliday, and an equally impressive piece of pitching by Baker.

Texas changed catchers as the game went to extra’s, forcing their DH out as well. And with the ghost runner at second base, Gunnar Henderson’s two-run homer gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead. And it was a shot, folks. So was Colton Cowser’s subsequent solo shot to extend it to 6-3.

BUT…Garcia came up with two on (including a ghost runner) in the tenth. Every pitch Garcia saw in this game was a four-seam fastball. I’m sure there’s a computer program somewhere telling them that’s a good idea. But eventually Garcia caught on, and smacked an emphatic two-run home run to tie the game.

I have no doubt that a steady diet of four-seamers is the book on Garcia. So it’s smart to pitch him that way. But…every pitch? That seems very misguided, and it should come as no surprise that he eventually caught on.

But we played on. Colton Cowser came up with two out in the eleventh and the ghost runner on second. And it was his two-run homer which eventually put the Orioles over the top. On a side note, remember Texas also having to surrender their DH? Ironically it bit them more than it did the Orioles, who played without a DH most of the game. Pitcher Jack Leiter had to pinch hit in the last of the 11th, striking out with a ghost runner at second. End of the day, the O’s pulled through for an 8-6 win.

That’s about as improbable a victory as you’re going to see. Texas was pesky and they didn’t go away. But neither did the Orioles. Despite having every reason to do so.

With Zach Eflin having gone on the IL yesterday already, it’s obvious that another IL move is coming today. Chadwick Tromp will obviously be replaced by a catcher. Might that be Samuel Basallo? Time will tell.

The series continues this evening at Globe Life Field. Brandon Young gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Texas’ Jacob deGrom. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

The question tonight was whether the pitching or the bats were less effective tonight for the Baltimore Orioles. The Birds called Brandon Young up from the minors to make the start, and he couldn’t quite make it over the hunt. Young’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K.

Young, and most Oriole relievers, were pitching-to-contact. The problem was Texas seemed to know that. And they happily obliged in terms of putting the ball in play. The Orioles were swinging-for-contact also. But Texas starter deGrom mowed ‘em down.

Texas got on the board in the second with an RBI-single by Jung. One inning later after a single, Jung came up to bat again and smacked a two-run home run. That was only a three-run deficit, but it got worse.

On the flip side, the Orioles didn’t get a guy on base until the seventh. They didn’t get a hit until the eighth when Colton Cowser broke up the no-hitter. It was the third time in five games the the Birds had gone through at least the sixth inning before getting a base hit.

Texas would like on three more in the fourth. Heim’s solo homer in the sixth would extend the Texas lead to 7-0. And the Birds would go onto drop two-of-three in the series.

The O’s are also struggling with allowing guys to take extra bases. Many of their throws from the outfield are to the wrong base. Granted it’s for the purpose of throwing a runner out of course. But lapses in judgement like that are giving guys extra bases. And it’s hurting.

The Baltimore Orioles saw good Charlie Morton last night in the series finale in Tampa. This in a game the Orioles almost had to win – after blowing an eight-run lead the night before. Morton’s line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K.

Tampa struck first, in the third. Morton hit Caballero to lead off the inning, he stole second base, was sacrificed to third, and then scored on Jansen’s RBI-single. However he shut Tampa down after that, minimizing the damage. And perhaps that was the first indication that the Orioles would have no carry-over from the night before. The inning didn’t balloon into something larger.

Similarly, a HBP yielded the Orioles a run to tie the game in the fourth. Gunnar Henderson was hit by a pitch, and he later scored on Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single. After Tampa took the lead, the Orioles countered immediately. Also a good sign.

This was a big game, mainly because of the night before. Not only did they blow an eight-run lead, but they didn’t get a hit the rest of the game following their eight-run second inning. That’s the sort of loss that can morph into an elongated losing streak. The Orioles showed early they were on it.

And Morton was eventually rewarded for his prowess. Colton Cowser smacked a three-run home run in the sixth, giving the Orioles a 4-1 lead. That felt like a decisive blow in a sense, but as we saw on Wednesday, Tampa’s a pesky beast that never quits.

They put two runners ins scoring position with nobody out in the seventh following a wild pitch from Seranthony Dominguez. However he struck out the following two hitters, and got the third one to ground out to end the inning. In the eighth Gregory Soto left two on when he departed with two out, and Bryan Baker walked a hitter to load the bases. He then induced a fly out, ending the inning.

Felix Bautista sent Tampa down 1-2-3 in the ninth to end the game. Again make no mistake that this was a huge win. And it wasn’t easy. Tampa had two golden opportunities to not only take the lead, hut to do so in a big manner in the seventh and eighth. And the bullpen came through. On the heels of a big loss, the O’s didn’t allow for any carry-over.

The game was stopped briefly in the seventh inning when Adley Rutschman sent a liner foul into the Tampa dugout. It was immediately evident that someone in the dugout had been seriously injured. A stretcher and a cart was brought to the scene, and reliever Hunter Bigge (currently on the IL) was taken away. He flashed the “thumbs up” to the crowd several times as he was wheeled away. After the game Tampa manager Kevin Cash told reporters that Bigge was coherent and undergoing tests at a local hospital. Best wishes to Hunter Bigge.

The Orioles now open up a three-game weekend series against the NYY this evening at Yankee Stadiun. Tomoyuki Sugano gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Max Fried. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles should know never to sleep on Tampa. Over the last 20 years that’s been proven time and again. Who would have thought that Trevor Rogers would have existed early after getting a huge lead? Tampa willed that to happen – that among other things. Rogers’ line: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K.

Colton Cowser’s three-run homer in the second inning gave the O’s a 3-0 lead. Cedric Mullins added a solo shot later in the inning, and Gunnar Henderson added a run-scoring single. Ramon Laureano’s three-run homer capped off the inning, and the O’s led 8-0.

You kind of felt the game was over. Not so far as Tampa was concerned. They threatened in the second, causing Rogers to throw over thirty pitches. But he got out of it without surrendering a run. They fouled off pitch after pitch, drawing either walks or eventually putting the ball in play. Even down eight, they refused to give up at-bats.

Tampa had already dipped into its bullpen, which boded well for the Orioles moving into tonight’s game. However the Birds would lift Rogers in the third and he was charged with three runs. Whereas the Orioles scored their runs primarily with power, Tampa just happily chipped away. Piece by piece.

Little by little they chipped away tacking on run after run. Lowe’s three-run homer in the fifth tied the game at eight. Caminero’s RBI-single in the seventh gave Tampa a 9-8 lead. They would go on to tack on there’s more, and the Orioles fell 12-8. This after spotting themselves an 8-0 lead.

Sometimes games like this happen, but that’s a tough loss to swallow. The Orioles have had issues with the strike zone – over a span of years. This being they don’t easily adapt to it. Home plate umpire Shane Livenspargen had a “less than generous” strike zone. There were various pitches on the black that were called balls. This frustrated Oriole pitching.

While those frustrations were well-founded, the zone was consistent. However Tampa was able to adapt. The Orioles weren’t. Oriole pitching tried to live on the fringes of the plate, and kept throwing pitches that appeared to nick the strike zone, but were consistently called balls. As the game went on, Tampa decided to attack the strike zone. And it worked. The Orioles either struck out, or put the ball in play and recorded an out.

A game like this also may have featured someone tipping pitches. Mind you, I didn’t say stealing signs. When you see an eight-run barrage in one inning, it makes you wonder if Tampa wasn’t somehow tipping pitches. OR, if at some point the Orioles didn’t START tipping pitches.

But again I go back to the strike zone more than anything else. It was consistent both ways for the most part. The difference was that Tampa played to the umpire’s zone – and it worked. The Orioles kept trying to pound the fringes of the plate so as to steal strikes. And that didn’t work.

The series concludes this evening at Steinbrenner Field. Charlie Morton gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Drew Rasmussen. Game time is set for just after 7:30 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles have their first four-game winning streak of the season after last night’s win in Seattle. Tomoyuki Sugano was strong, and he set the Birds up for success. It all begins and ends with starting pitching, and that’s seemed to stabilize a bit of late. Ever so slightly. Sugano’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

Aside from the starting pitching, the Orioles did something key that trickled down to success later in the game. They jumped on Seattle starter Kirby early. They didn’t score a plethora of runs out of the gate, but they drove his pitch count up and put guys on base. Granted that did pay off a little early on, as they took a 1-0 lead on Ramon Urias’ sac fly-RBI.

The only slight blip in Sugano’s game was a second inning solo homer by Tellez. And make no mistake, this is still a game played by humans. It’s never going to be perfect. Luckily this wasn’t one of those games where the margin of success or failure was that stringent,

The game remained tied until the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI-single put the Orioles back in the lead at 2-1. This game was also notable because it marked the return of Colton Cowser to the lineup. Cowser of course broke a finger in game four sliding into a base. I’ll maintain to my grave that losing him might have been the biggest blow to this season (offensively at least). But wouldn’t you know it…the old boy came through in the sixth with a solo homer.

That almost drives home my point; Cowser streamlines the lineup. I’m not even sure there’s a tangible manner to measure his value – aside from WAR, which I see as a made up stat. But the energy he brings combined with his prowess at the plate does something to this lineup.

And again, it’s not always a tangible effect he has on the lineup. Sometimes it’s just his energy. How many times have we seen the Orioles tack on insurance runs late this year? And how many times has it bitten them? Not last night. Heston Kjerstad added an RBI-double in the ninth, and Jackson Holliday an RBI-single. And again, the Orioles now have their first four-game winning streak of the season.

Is this a turning point? Is it too late? Nobody knows. But it COULD be. It could also be fool’s gold. But keep this time period in mind if the O’s find themselves stabilizing a bit.

The series continues late this evening at T-Mobile Park. Cade Povich gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Emerson Hancock. Game time is set for just after 9:30 PM.

In what feels like light years ago, Dean Kremer gave the Baltimore Orioles another outstanding start. Odds are he would have gone deeper into the game had it been under different circumstances, but fact is this already was a postseason game for the Birds – in a sense. And Kremer rose to the occasion. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

It’s never easy. It hasn’t been all season. Especially of late. This much we know. But the O’s battled in this one, and on any given day of the season, this would be a great win.

Following a one out single and double, Heston Kjerstad’s RBI-groundout in the second inning gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. Ryan O’Hearn extended the lead to 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI-single. For the record, that came following Anthony Santander having gone to second base on a wild pitch. Attention to detail.

However New York would narrow the lead back to one later in that fourth inning on Judge’s solo homer. However Kremer limited the damage, and made a subsequent great play in the field, and got the Birds out of the inning without further incident. Buckling down in that moment made as big a difference as anything.

But that was never going to be enough. Anthony Santander’s solo homer off the right field foul pole in the sixth and Ramon Urias’ solo shot in the seventh extended the lead to 4-1. But even that wasn’t enough – almost.

NY had runners at the corners with two outs in the last of the seventh. Torres’ RBI-double narrowed the lead to 4-2. That brought Soto to the plate, one of the two biggest heavy hitters – in a lineup full of heavy hitters. And he sent an RBI-single for to right, which should have tied the score. However Torres was held up at third base…

…and chaos seemingly ensued. The O’s caught Torres in a rundown. A 9-2-6-2-5-2-6 rundown resulting in an out, to be exact. Attention to detail.

That should have tied the game. It didn’t. And the Orioles capitalized, with Colton Cowser’s solo homer in the eighth. That gave the O’s a slight cushion, and the bullpen found a way to close things out. That narrowed the magic number to one, and by virtue of Miami beating Minnesota, the Orioles clinched a postseason spot.

So the Birds return to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1996-97. It’s only one step. But it’s a big one, and it came at a price. Whereas last season was a rosy victory lap down the stretch, this year was a struggle until the end. And even this game – New York had the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning. But one way or the other, they found a way. And they made it.

That Torres play in the seventh – it was also big because by virtue of the inning ending there, it all but guaranteed that Soto and Judge wouldn’t come up again before the end of nine. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but it felt like something dramatic would have to happen. Not smart base running by New York. And the Orioles benefitted.

The series continues tomorrow evening at Yankee Stadium. Zach Eflin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Nestor Cortes. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.