Leody Taveras sits against Nationals on Sunday

Cowser had sat the previous two games with a left-hander on the mound, but he’ll be in the starting lineup tonight with Blaze Alexander shifting to third base and Coby Mayo heading to the bench. This strict platoon usage makes it easier to roster Cowser in fantasy leagues with daily moves.

Beavers had been sidelined since mid-May due to an oblique strain. He’s starting in right field and batting sixth for the O’s against Nationals’ right-hander Zack Littell on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

It’s possible Beavers winds up staying in the minors once he completes his rehab assignment since the Orioles don’t really have a spot for him at the moment. The 24-year-old former top prospect was hitting .243/.331/.369 with two homers and three steals in 119 plate appearances prior to landing on the shelf with an oblique strain back in mid-May.

And he got to stay in left field the whole way through. That wouldn’t typically be noteworthy, but the Orioles needed someone to play third base after Blaze Alexander got hurt in the third inning tonight. The seemingly obvious move with Jackson Holliday unavailable would have been to lose Coby Mayo as the DH and play him at his natural position, but the Orioles instead galaxy-brained using Leody Taveras at the hot corner, even though Taveras had never played any infield as the pro. Ward, on the other hand, has started at third 42 times as a major leaguer and 101 times as a minor leaguer. Still, Ward stayed put and all worked out in the end. Taveras played five innings at third without incident, and the Orioles did finally sacrifice the DH and stick Mayo at third for the final two innings of a 6-1 win.

Alexander was 0-for-1 prior to leaving the contest in Los Angeles. His departure forced outfielder Leody Taveras into action at the hot corner since the Orioles were already playing without Jackson Holliday (groin) for the second straight contest. The versatile 27-year-old is likely headed for imaging to determine the severity of the issue. There should be an update on his status leading into Tuesday’s contest.

Taveras had three of the Orioles’ six hard-hit balls and was the offensive player of the game, but he was nearly the goat after botching what seemed to be a game-ending fly to right in the ninth, giving the Dodgers their second run. Fortunately, the Orioles held on to win 3-2. Taveras is batting .255/.332/.368 through 236 plate appearances. He’s fourth on the Orioles with 28 runs scored and sixth with 29 RBI despite having homered just twice in 66 games.

As a team, the Orioles were only able to scratch out three hits and three walks against Byran Woo and company, with Cowser the only member of the squad to reach base twice. The 26-year-old outfielder is now slashing .222/.313/.379 with seven long balls and 23 RBI in 177 plate appearances on the season.

Beavers figures to make it back to Baltimore before the end of June. The 24-year-old hit the injured list with a low-grade oblique strain back on May 13.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 27-year-old outfielder. Tyler O’Neill will start in his place in right field and will bat eighth for the O’s against Griffin Canning and the Padres.

Cowser tattooed a 2-1 fastball from Bryan Woo for a 416-foot (108.5-mph EV) solo shot that got the Orioles on the board and tied the score at one run apiece in the third inning. The 26-year-old outfielder is now slashing .227/.311/.397 with seven homers, 23 RBI and two stolen bases across 162 plate appearances on the season.