Colton

Cowser

The Rockies should have had an inning-ending double play on Cowser’s grounder to second in the seventh, but Connor Norby did an underhand flip from a mile away and Cowser, thanks to an overturned call, ended up beating out the relay, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Cowser, though, still had more in store. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Jake McCarthy crushed a ball to center, only for Cowser to make an outstanding jumping catch while crashing into the wall, denying what would have been a two-run walkoff homer and giving the Orioles a 2-1 victory. It brought the Orioles, now 69-69, to .500 for the first time since they were 15-15 on Apr. 30.

This is a bit of a surprise. Robert is hitting well in August, slashing .267/.321/.520 with six home runs, 10 runs scored, and 11 RBI; however, the Orioles have been getting solid production from Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, and Leody Taveras in the outfield. Their DH spot has also been filled by Coby Mayo since Christian Encarnacion-Strand has emerged as the regular third baseman. Somebody who is playing well is going to be bumped from the starting lineup now, and you have to wonder if this is a sign that the Orioles plan to pick up Robert’s $20 million team option for 2027.

Cowser’s home run was his 13th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Jack Perkins in the fifth inning. Cowser is 15-for-44 (.341) with five home runs and eight RBI in his last 17 games. He’s hitting .228 with a .709 OPS and 36 RBI this year.

Cowser accounted for the only two hits the Orioles could muster on the afternoon, one of which was a solo home run off Bryan Baker in the bottom of the ninth. The 26-year-old entered Sunday with a career wRC+ below 100, as he continues to fall short of some lofty prospect expectations that preceded a productive 2024 campaign. Given he’s still a strong-side platoon bat, he’ll need to improve in a big way to have much fantasy value heading into 2027.

Cowser tagged left-hander Steven Matz for a 392-foot (103.6-mph EV) two-run shot in the sixth inning that extended their lead to 5-1. For the season, the 26-year-old outfielder is now hitting .217/.317/.364 with 11 long balls and 33 RBI in 294 plate appearances.

Cowser sent one for blast-off in the second inning, as it traveled 441 feet to the batter’s eye in center field. It was his first homer since way back on June 21. He was later credited with an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning, but it was his fifth-inning single off Jordan Montgomery which was more intriguing. He entered Sunday’s action just 5-for-32 (.156) against southpaws this season.

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.

With Dylan Beavers back in the mix, we could start to see Taveras’ playing time start to dip a bit. The Orioles are rolling with Colton Cowser in center field and Beavers in right against Nationals’ right-hander Zack Littell on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.

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.

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.