Coby Mayo clubs 13th home run in win vs. Astros

Mayo gets the nod to face Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez with Taylor Ward hitting second. It’s a bit of a different look for Baltimore, but one of their former top prospects has earned the opportunity by hitting .267 (8-for-30) with two homers in 11 games since last month’s All-Star break.

Mayo extended Baltimore’s early advantage with an RBI single against Tigers starter Keider Montero in the third inning before taking reliever Brenan Hanifee deep for a no-doubter to left field in the fifth. It was his 14th round-tripper of the season and fourth time he’s gone deep since the start of July.

Basallo suffered a right shoulder injury in Sunday’s win over the Astros. This is the second time this summer that Basallo appeared to grab his arm in discomfort after a swing. He didn’t miss time the first time it happened, but it’s unclear if that will be the case now. Coby Mayo will DH and bat fifth, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand will start at third base and bat eighth.

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.

Once again Basallo will take a seat with an opposing left-hander on the mound. Coby Mayo will serve as the team’s designated hitter in his place on Sunday and will bat fifth against Reds’ left-hander Nick Lodolo.

Alexander takes a seat following an early exit from Monday’s series opener with right knee muscle contusion. It’ll be Coby Mayo at the hot corner in his place. The versatile 27-year-old is day-to-day heading into Wednesday’s series finale.

Mayo plated the third, fourth and fifth runs of a six-run first inning with a wall-scraping double off the Green Monster. The 337-foot fly would have been an out in a lot of parks, but it was unplayable at Fenway. Mayo is currently hitting .203/.272/.,379 with 23 RBI in 169 plate appearances. It figured that he’d lose considerable playing time with Jackson Holliday back, but it hasn’t happened thus far, mostly because Jeremiah Jackson is in the midst of a lone slump that has sent his stock plummeting in Baltimore. Mayo has started seven of eight games since returning from a four-game absence due to back discomfort. Jackson has been in the lineup for just two of those games.

Mayo got the Orioles on the board and evened the score at a run apiece with his 400-foot (110.3 mph EV) solo shot off of Patrick Corbin in the fourth inning. That would be the extent of the Orioles’ offense. He struck out in his only other at-bat in the contest, finishing the night 1-for-2. On the season, the 24-year-old is slashing a miserable .200/.273/.370 with six homers and 19 RBI.

Mayo is back at DH and hitting fifth following a four-game absence due to lower back discomfort that cropped up last weekend. The 24-year-old former top prospect has been in a groove at the dish recently, hitting .292 (7-for-24) with one homer and three RBI over his last seven games. He’ll need to produce over an extended period before fantasy managers are ready to buy in again, but it’s never really been a talent issue with Mayo. A little bit of confidence could go a long way towards helping him finally reach his potential.

Mayo remains on the bench as he continues to deal with lower back discomfort that caused him to be scratched from Sunday’s doubleheader against the Tigers. The timing is unfortunate for the former top prospect as he was just starting to look comfortable at the dish. There’s a chance he requires a trip to the injured list if he’s unable to play later this week. It’ll be utility infielder Blaze Alexander handling the hot corner on Tuesday night in his place.