Tag Archives: Colton Cowser

Dean Kremer had some halfway decent innings for the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto this evening. Just not enough decent innings. It’s been a tough season for the Orioles’ starter, yet here he is. Kremer’s line: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 6 K.

Kremer was pitching against a team in Toronto this evening who doesn’t strike out too much. Yet, he still notched six strikeouts. However in doing so, he got a lot of the plate with his pitches. And he paid for that.

Guerrero’s RBI-double in the first inning following two runners being put on. Guerrero victimized the Orioles tonight, and given the fact that this was the last meeting between the teams, the Orioles don’t need to worry about running into him again.

However that also left runners at second and third, and when Kremer was called for a balk Toronto led 2-0. Kirk’s RBI-single extended the lead to 3-0. For the record, that was Kremer’s first balk in his career.

The Orioles did try to battle back. Colton Cowser’s two-run homer in the third got them back to within one. However Toronto would pad their lead in the later innings, much of that on the bat once again of Guerrero. They ran it all the way to 7-2, and the game appeared to be over…

…but it wasn’t. The O’s loaded the bases in the ninth, and Jackson Holliday grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI. That was followed by an RBI-double by Cedric Mullins, bringing Colton Cowser back to the plate.

And Cowser’s “excuse me swing” two-RBI single cut the Toronto lead to 7-6. The O’s had the go-ahead run at the plate with two outs in the ninth. However Anthony Santander flied out to center, ending the game in a 7-6 loss.

The Orioles have also run into the buzzsaw of good pitching. Toronto starter Gausman (former Oriole) pitched eight innings. He gave up just that Colton Cowser home run, and struck out only two. Eight innings pitched and he struck out TWO HITTERS. That’s a statistical anomaly, but it’s also indicative of what the Orioles were up against tonight.

However make no mistake, we saw the Orioles come to life in the end. And maybe at this stage of the season, that’s what it’s all about – coming alive at the right time. Coming alive when needed to keep pace in the standings. And on that note by virtue of New York losing to Anaheim, the O’s remain in a first place tie.

The O’s now go to Tampa to open a series at Tropicana Field tomorrow night. Zach Eflin gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Litell. Game time is set for just before 7 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles and other teams aren’t fans of doubleheaders, and not just because it’s double duty. Statistically more doubleheaders are split than anything else – so it’s almost like a guaranteed loss. Cade Povich got the start for the O’s in the nightcap, and with less than desirable results. Povich’s line: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R (3 earned), 5 BB, 1 K.

On top of that, the Orioles and Toronto had to wait just over two hours to play the game. Following the first game the Orioles announced that there was “no start time” for the second game at that time, due to weather in the area. And it did rain. It doesn’t go as a rain delay, for the record. This given the fact that it was a doubleheader. It’s recorded as just the time the teams had between games.

Povich gave up an RBI-double to Clement in the first. But the Orioles immediately tied it up on a solo homer by Colton Cowser, who again was batting leadoff. However Toronto was determined to make sure that the law of averages for doubleheaders remained in tact. Berroa’s RBI-single in the second put them ahead 2-1.

Berroa ended up on third base on a Jordan Westburg error, and scored on a groundout by Springer. However Westburg made up for the error. He smacked a two-run homer in the second, re-tying the score. Errors are tough to get over, especially when you’re in a pennant race. But that’s one way to do it.

However Toronto would re-take the lead, and end up putting four more on the board. The Birds got an RBI-single from Colton Cowser in the last of the seventh, but fell in the long nightcap, 8-4. It’s tough to fathom that the Orioles actually won a game yesterday, yet lost a half game in the standings to New York. But it illustrates why teams don’t like doubleheaders.

All of that brings us to the trade deadline, which is 6 PM this evening. Thus far, contending teams have been “fleeced” by non-contenders in my view. Which doesn’t bode well for the Orioles in a sense. I think they’ll end up making a deal end of the day, however whomever it is will come at a pretty penny.

I would remind fans that the price for the Orioles WILL most certainly be higher than for other teams. You can look at any trade made and say that the Orioles could have offered a better return and gotten that player. However teams know that the Orioles’ farm system is loaded. So they’re going to try to take advantage of that.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t do anything more. They should, and I think they have to. I think they need a starter and a back end reliever – former Oriole Tanner Scott comes to mind. But they just have to be careful. You don’t want to roll the dice too much. The goal is to win the World Series. But you always have to keep half an eye on the future, and you don’t want to empty the tank in one fatal swoop. They need to have a tempered approach.

The series with Toronto continues this evening at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Chris Bassit. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.

Chayce McDermott made his big league debut this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. The Birds are in a spot where they need major league starters – in the wake of three different pitchers getting Tommy John’s earlier this season. So tonight it fell to McDermott, who was called up from triple-A Norfolk, McDermott’s line: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

McDermott sent Miami down 1-2-3 in the first inning, but struggled a bit in the second. He did get out of the inning however, only for things to flare up again in the fourth. Bell smacked a solo homer, and Miami would also get an RBI-single by Edwards and a sac fly-RBI by Gordon.

However the O’s did load the bases in three sixth. And Colton Cowser’s bases-clearing double promptly tied the game at three. For what it’s worth, the runners came as a result of two singles and a walk.

But it wasn’t enough. Miami put two runners on in the seventh as a result of a walk and a base hit. In between those two things, Oriole reliever Cionel Perez uncorked a wild pitch. However the runner at first went to second on a sacrifice bunt. That left two runners in scoring position, and Chisolm’s two-RBI double gave Miami their lead back at 5-3. De La Cruz’s subsequent RBI-single extended it to 6-3.

And the O’s couldn’t muster anything more. However consider the one inning (the 6th) when they did score. they loaded the bases with two hits and a walk. Miami also pulled back ahead as a result of small things – a stolen base on the heels of a wild pitch, followed by a hit.

The Orioles are thinking big, and that’s no mystery. They’ve had their eyes on October since Spring Training. But as the saying says, sometimes if you get too close to the first you can’t smell the trees. This is a team that relies on home runs. Perhaps a little too much. They’re sitting on home run pitches, and opposing teams know this. Meaning those home run pitches aren’t going to come.

The one time the O’s did make an impact they took what Miami was hocking. If that meant one base at a time, that’s what it meant. Now obviously, the O’s have their sights set on well beyond this series. But sometimes when you’re a team like Miami (and like the Orioles used to be) you aren’t focusing on winning in the here and now. You’re focusing on building. That makes it easier to focus on fundamentals such as bunts, singles, and steals. This as opposed to hitting the ball out of the ballpark.

The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at loanDepot Park. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Miami’s Roddery Munoz. Game time is set for just after noon.

Cade Povich was outstanding this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. He doesn’t get credit for the win, but that’s through no fault of his own. In his first start at Oriole Park, he rocked the yard with his outing. Povich’s line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

Everytime you turned around, Povich was mowing down another Atlanta hitter. Any other game, he’d be the story tonight. Again, justifiably he should have been the winner.

The Birds put runners on the corners in the third. Gunnar Henderson would ground out, scoring a runner from third with an RBI. Later in the inning Adley Rutschman would ground into a fielder’s choice with a runner once again at third. However a throwing error would dictate that everyone was safe, scoring another run for the O’s.

Again, every time you turned around Cade Povich was retiring another hitter. It was a sensational effort, and one that he’ll probably never forget. Neither will the fans in attendance.

Unfortunately as I said, he didn’t get the win. He did pitch a quality start, and he left in line for the win. However Keegan Akin gave up a two-run homer to Olson in the eighth inning. And we went on tied at two.

Ryan Mountcastle reached on an infield hit in the last of the eighth. That brought Colton Cowser to the plate. Needless to say, the ball might not have come down yet…

…Cowser’s two-run homer put the Orioles back in the lead at 4-2. Craig Kimbrel retired Atlanta quietly in the ninth, and the Orioles had extended Atlanta’s losing streak to five. Atlanta put a scare into the Birds there for a moment, but they rebounded.

Make no mistake that this was Colton Cowser’s night. His turn to play the hero. But again, the story justifiably should have been Cade Povich, you never want to waste an outing like that. Luckily on paper, the Orioles didn’t.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Cole Irvin gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Atlanta’s Reynaldo Lopez. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles sent Grayson Rodriguez to the mound tonight against Minnesota, and he looked better than perhaps he’s looked since last season. Rodriguez stymied Minnesota hitters for most of his outing. Which bodes well going onward. Rodriguez’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K.

The O’s did get some bad news before the game. Tyler Wells went to the IL with elbow inflammation. Wells was scheduled to start tomorrow’s game, but that’s obviously no longer going to be the case.

The Orioles scored in bunches in this game. James McCann’s RBI-single in the second got them on the board. McCann would almost immediately score himself when Gunnar Henderson decided to hit the ball over the fence for a two-run homer.

The onslaught continued an inning later. Colton Cowser grounded out into an RBI, and Jordan Westburg’s two-run homer extended the lead to 6-0. And that’s key right there – it broke the game wide open. You have to put people away when you have the opportunity. The Orioles did it tonight.

But the Orioles weren’t done yet – in the game or in the inning. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI-single gave the Birds a 7-0 lead. Minnesota would get an RBI-triple in the fourth by Buxton, and an RBI-single in the sixth by Kiriloff. This sandwiched around another RBI-single for the O’s, this one by Colton Cowser. They would also get a two-RBI single by Anthony Santander in the last of the sixth, extending the lead to 9-2.

But the O’s weren’t totally done yet. Adley Rutschman walked to lead off the last of the eighth. That brought Ryan O’Hearn to the plate, and his two-run homer (upheld on replay for fan interference) ran the final to 11-2. I would also mention that Minnesota’s Byron Buxton tried to climb the wall in center to stop that homer. Despite the score being out of hand, he was still out there trying. He’s a gamer. He always has been. Minnesota would add an RBI-single in the ninth, and the O’s went home 11-3 winners, taking the series.

Everyone participated in this game. Everyone who played, that is. Every Orioles reached base. Jackson Holliday was the lone Oriole without a hit, but he did draw a walk – the first of his big league career. Many of those base runners came in to score. Which is key – the more runs you score the more they have to score to beat you.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Due to Tyler Wells going to the IL the Orioles have yet to announce a starter, but they’ll be facing Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

A long time ago, Grayson Rodriguez started for the Baltimore Orioles tonight in the series finale with Boston at Fenway Park. The Birds of course had taken the first two games of the series and were going for the sweep. And what a game it was. Rodriguez’s line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K.

Rodriguez’s two runs surrendered came in the first inning. Yoshida’s RBI-groundout and Abreu’s RBI-double gave Boston a 2-0 lead. However Colton Cowser’s first big league home run in the fifth (a solo shot) cut the lead in half at 2-1. Incidentally, it cleared the Green Monster at Fenway.

One key to the Orioles’ season thus far has been taking advantage of opponents’ mistakes. And we saw it in a big way tonight. This entire series, really. While Jackson Holliday still hasn’t collected his first big league hit, but he did reach on an error in the eighth inning. The inning eventually ended with Holliday being out as part of a double-play…

…or did it?! The inning appeared to end. But the next thing we knew Anthony Santander was walking to the plate. And a moment later the Orioles led 3-2 after his two-run homer around the Pesky Pole.

So Santander continued the inning and smacked a two-run home run. However Boston brought up Wong (their backup catcher) in the last

In short, Boston employed the “neighborhood play” to get Holliday out at second. In short, the out was never made. And the umpire correctly ruled the runner (Holliday) safe at first.

However, Boston tied the game in the last of the eight with a solo homer by Wong, who came in as a pinch hitter. Wong was also Boston’s backup catcher. And following the starting catcher McGuire being tossed later in the inning, he was pressed into action – with Boston already having a short bench.

Following a scoreless ninth, we went to the tenth. The ghost runner rule returned Jackson Holliday to second base. But he wasn’t there long. Gunnar Henderson led off the inning, and sent a high fly ball over the wall in right field, and gave the O’s a 5-3 lead.

But they weren’t done. Cedric Mullins added an RBI-single, bringing Colton Cowser back to the plate with two runners on. And Cowser responded with his second big league home run, and his second of the game. This one of the three-run variety, and over the Green Monster at that. Boston would put across a nominal run in the bottom of the inning, but the O’s closed out a 9-4 win, and a series sweep at Fenway Park.

Cowser had a solid series overall. Both at the plate and in the field. The Orioles closed out a winning road trip, and a series sweep of a division rival at that. It’s a long season, and it’s still early. But this is the sort of series to which one might point back later on.

The O’s now return home to open a series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Camden Yards. Tyler Wells gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

You can’t blame the weather if you’re the Baltimore Orioles. In the NFL they say conditions are the great equalizer – and it’s true. Both teams have to play in the conditions. But Kansas City was able to muster something against starter Cole Irvin. Oriole bats could not. Irvin’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

Kansas City did most of their dirty work in the second inning. Loftin started things off with an RBI-single. Garcia would follow later in the inning with a two-RBI double, and the Birds trailed, 3-0.

Colton Cowser made his first big impact of the season however with an RBI-single in the last of the third. However Garcia would add an RBI-triple an inning later. This gave Kansas City a 4-1 lead. And that would be the final.

New Oriole Tony Kemp appeared to have at least a double in the last of the eighth with a tight liner down the right field line. But it was ruled a foul ball, and replays were inconclusive. The Orioles challenged, but the call was upheld.

I say replays were inconclusive because of the result of the challenge. It looked to me like the ball hit the line at worst. AT WORST. At best it landed on the fair side of the line. Would that have made a difference? Tough to say.

Odds are it wouldn’t have made that much a difference. The Orioles couldn’t get much going in the rain. It was a slog of a struggle in a sense. But the beauty of baseball is you come back tomorrow and try again.

The series concludes tomorrow at Camden Yards. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Cole Ragan’s. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Grayson Rodriguez got the start for the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon at Lecom Park in Bradenton against Pittsburgh. Yes, those same Pittsburgh Pirates, the Orioles’ closest Graefruit League neighbor. Rodriguez’s line: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K.

The lone run Rodriguez surrendered came off of Joe’s infield RBI-single in the first inning. The ball deflected off of Jackson Holliday, allowing a run to score. However Pittsburgh would also load the bases later in the inning…

…and Rodriguez pitched out of it. Pitchers will get themselves in trouble in games. It’s the nature of the position. What’s important is how they work out of it. Rodriguez retired the side surrendering just the one run. Which is a good sign.

Colton Cowser continued his hot spring, tying the game with a solo homer in the third. Cowser went 1-for-3 with said home run in the game. He’s played at feverish pace thus far in the early part of spring. This is great for the Orioles, but it begs to question what happens when camp breaks?

The O’s have a logjam in the outfield. It’s a given that the likes of Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander will be on the roster. But there’s also Cowser, Ryan McKenna, and others. The good news is that there’s probably no wrong decision. But obviously they want to make decisions that will impact the big league team the right way in the here and now.

Pittsburgh would get the lead back in the seventh on an RBI-single by Gutierrez. But again, the Birds battled back. Kyle Stowers’ RBI-single in the eighth tied it back up at two. The Orioles would put two runners on in the top of the ninth, bringing TT Bowens to the plate. And Bowens smacked a three-run homer, putting the O’s in the lead for good at 5-2.

We saw a lot of guys contribute today, which is a good thing. These spring games are as much about trying out your entire organization as anything else. It shows that the Oriole organization is deep. But with the top farm system in baseball, we already knew that.

The O’s return home to Sarasota tomorrow to take on Minnesota at Ed Smith Stadium. Dean Kremer gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Cole Sands. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

Winning and losing didn’t mean anything today for the Baltimore Orioles against the BoSox in spring training. They just wanted to get off to a good start behind newly-acquired ace, Corbin Burnes. And they certainly did that, limited in action as Burnes was – that being one inning. Burnes’ line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Burnes may have only thrown the first inning, but needless to say he was “crisp.” And I think that’s the goal in spring games when you’re a veteran and starting with a new team. As far as first spring outings that only last one inning go, you’ll take that if you’re the Orioles. All day.

The good news was that Oriole regulars all seemed to show up today. Adley Rutschman smacked a solo homer over the right field wall in the last of the first to give the O’s a 1-0 lead early on. Boston would tie it back up however in the third with a solo homer by Contreras. Later in the inning Dalbec’s RBI-single would give them a 2-1 lead.

But the Orioles came back. Ramon Urias’ sac fly-RBI in the last of the fourth tied the game back up at two. The game became a “bullpen game” after that, with Boston striking back first. Hamilton’s RBI-single in the eighth would put them back on top at 3-2.

But they don’t call it Orioles Magic for nothing. And even in its spring version, it’s pretty exciting. Errol Robinson sent a flare down the left field line which just missed the gloves of Boston fielders, falling fair just inside the line. Robinson would later take second base on a wild pitch, all this with nobody out.

That brought Colton Cowser to the plate. He sent what appeared to be a pop up to left center. However the ball kept going, and motored its way over the wall. That gave the Birds a 4-3 walk off win against Boston in game one of the Florida Grapefruit League.

You can’t go wrong with walkoff victories, even in Spring Training. However for what it’s worth, both Oriole homers today were wind-aided. But that’s true of a lot of home runs in the Florida spring. Overall it was a solid game on both sides of the ball for the Orioles, but also left a lot on which to build. Which is right about where you’d want anyone to be at this point.

Tomorrow the O’s head to Bradenton to take on Pittsburgh at Lecom Park. Cole Irvin makes his spring debut and gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller. Game time is set for just after 1 PM.

The Baltimore Orioles needed a deep start from Dean Kremer tonight. And they got it. The likes of Yennier Cano and Felix Bautista weren’t available out of the bullpen tonight, so the Birds were hoping for a strong outing deep into the game to hold them through and give the bullpen some relief. Kremer’s line: 7.0 IP, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

The O’s took an early lead on Jordan Westburg’s solo homer in the second. For the record, it was the first major league home run of Westburg’s career. And it came on a night when runs were going to be at a premium.

Philadelphia would tie the game at one on Schwarber’s sac fly-RBI in the fifth. Unfortunately however, they also lost centerfielder Asron Hicks for the game. Hicks valiantly dove and caught a ball, injuring himself in the process. He was replaced by Colton Cowser.

Ryan Mountcastle would smack his first homer since May in the sixth, giving the Orioles the lead back. However two innings later with Kremer already out of the game, Philadelphia would tie it back up on an RBI-single by Castellanos. For what it’s worth, that, while helping Philadelphia, might also have been the biggest defensive play of the game for the Orioles….

…Harper tried to score all the way from first. Colton Cowser came up throwing, and gunned Harper out at home plate. If he holds up at third instead, Harper keeps the go-ahead run for the home team in scoring position with two outs. Instead he tested the rookie, and that was a bad idea. It ended the inning and we played on. Harper seemed to think he was safe and seemed to want Philadelphia to challenge the call. But needless to say, he was out by a country mile.

Cowser came up to bat in the ninth inning with the go-ahead run on second. And he sent a bloop liner towards the line in left, and it barely landed fair off the left fielder’s mitt. That gave the O’s a 3-2 lead, which despite some tight moments in the last of the ninth, was good enough to win the game.

To review, Colton Cowser wasn’t supposed to play tonight. And his throw home to nail Harper combined with his RBI-double saved the game for the O’s. But that’s part of the story of the 2023 Baltimore Orioles. Every game has a different star. I think we’ve sung this song before. That’s the magic of Orioles baseball.

The series continues tomorrow night at Citizens Bank Park. Kyle Gibson gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Philadelphia’s Taijuan Walker. Game time is set for just after 6:30 PM.