Colton

Cowser

Cowser’s home run was his sixth. He hit a solo shot off Kevin Gausman in the fifth inning. He’s hit three home runs in his last seven games. With the Orioles facing seven right-handed starters next week, Cowser is a worthwhile add for power-needy teams.

Cowser had his right hand/wrist checked on by the trainer running into the wall in right in the contest, but his exit simply seemed to be a matchup thing, with Tyler O’Neill replacing him against a lefty reliever. There was no indication after the game that it was injury related.

Cowser has sat in each of the last two games and in four of the last six because the Orioles have been facing so many left-handed pitchers. The 26-year-old has started to turn things around, hitting .310/.383/.619 over his last 20 games with four home runs, 13 RBI, and one steal. That comes with a 12/5 K/BB ratio but just a 16.7 percent hard-hit rate. Given the hot streaks we’ve seen him go on, now is the time to pick him up with the Orioles set to face 10 straight right-handed pitchers.

Cowser plated a run with a ground out in the second inning that extended the O’s early advantage to 2-0. He then broke the game wide open in the third with a 424-foot (108.0 mph EV) three-run blast off of Spencer Miles that made it a 6-0 ballgame. He also walked in the ballgame, finishing the afternoon 2-for-3. His bat has started to show signs of life after a miserable start to the season, as he’s now hitting .227/.312/.364 with four homers and 18 RBI on the year.

Jackson gets the nod over Colton Cowser in right field and will make his first appearance away from the infield dirt this season after 48 games at second base to open the year. Jackson Holliday’s recent return as the club’s starting second baseman has complicated Baltimore’s infield picture, which means Jackson is probably going to wind up in a multi-position utility role moving forward.

Cowser hit for Tyler O’Neill in the seventh today and was 0-for-3 before cranking a 425-foot homer off Jesse Scholtens in his fourth plate appearance. Cowser also hit a three-run homer on Sunday to give the Orioles a 5-3 win over the Tigers. He’s hitting just .200/.287/.316 with three homers in 109 plate appearances on the season, but the big moments might pay off in the playing time department this week.

The Orioles were facing a one-run deficit and down to their final strike in the ninth inning when Cowser obliterated an 0-2 sinker from Kenley Jansen for his 440-foot (111.5 mph EV) game-winning blast that sent the Orioles’ faithful into a frenzy. He finished the afternoon 1-for-2 and is hitting just .200/.284/.289 with two homers and 12 RBI on the season.

Cowser connected on a 394-foot (113.3 mph EV) two-run shot off of Miles Mikolas in the fourth inning that increased the Orioles’ advantage to 6-1. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the day. He has had a very rough go at the plate, slashing .173/.269/.235 with just the one home run and nine RBI in 94 plate appearances.

Colton Cowser will patrol center field and hit seventh in his place. Oblique issues can be complicated matters, which is why the Orioles aren’t going to take any chances here. The 24-year-old former top prospect, who is hitting .243/.331/.369 with two homers, 12 RBI and three steals in 33 games this season, will likely undergo evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue and whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list.

Taveras had started in each of the team’s previous four games, so he’ll get a breather in this one. Colton Cowser will start in his place in center field and will bat seventh for the O’s against Marlins’ right-hander Max Meyer.