The Baltimore Orioles have been a different team with the addition of outfielder Colton Cowser. Since the O’s No. 2 prospect made his debut, the Orioles have yet to lose a game, and the offense has exploded.
It also seems that the Young Guns of Cowser, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg have been in the center of key moments during the current winning streak.
Against the Twins, the Orioles had offensive outbursts, strong defensive plays and dominating pitching that helped determine the outcome of the series.
Let’s see how the games unfolded as the Birds enter the All-Star Break as one of the hottest teams in baseball, winning five in a row.
GAME 1: O’s 3, MIN 1 – 10 INNINGS
Left-hander Cole Irvin had failed to live up to expectations since his arrival to Baltimore. Demoted at one point, he has pitched fair since his return but had not gone more than 5.1 innings in an appearance.
Irvin clicked in Friday’s game and put forth his best performance of the season. The veteran lefty would complete 6.1 innings, allowing just three hits and one run.
Cedric Mullins helped keep the Twins off the board by leaping and catching a Byron Buxton fly ball that would have been a three-run home run. Mullins would also drive in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly.
Unfortunately, the one run was given up when Mike Baumann would allow a single. It would be the lone run the Twins would score.
The “Big Three” of Danny Coulombe, Yennier Canó and Félix Bautista (W, 4-1) took over from there and shut down the Twins’ offense.
The Orioles scored two in the 10th on an RBI double by Ramón Urías and a sacrifice fly from Aaron Hicks. The Birds had five hits total and four walks as they won, 3-1 in 10 innings.
GAME 2: O’s 6, MIN 2
Heading into game two, the Orioles were no-hit for eight innings by Sonny Gray, who had not given up more than three runs in a game all season.
The one inning the Orioles did collect a hit, they picked up six of them. In the second inning, two bases loaded walks sandwiched between three hits before and after the walks are all the Birds needed.
Colton Cowser, Ramón Urías, Adam Fraizer (2), Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander picked up RBIs to give the Orioles a 6-1 lead after two.
Tyler Wells (7-4) was his usual consistent self. He would cover six innings, allowing six hits and two walks while giving up just two runs.
Bryan Baker and Danny Coulombe finished the game combining for three scoreless innings to preserve the 6-2 victory, along with the series win.
GAME 3: O’s 15, MIN 2
As the offense continues to explode, the Orioles continue to make things easy on their starters. The offense scored seven runs in the fifth and six runs in the sixth to blow the game open.
Home runs by Austin Hays (9), Ramón Urías (4), Aaron Hicks (7), Adley Rutschman (12) and two by Anthony Santander (16) helped the Orioles score 15 runs. It was their second game scoring at least 14 runs in four days.
Kyle Gibson (9-6) struck out a season-high 11 batters, as he allowed only two runs over seven innings. Nick Vespi and Eduard Bazardo closed out the game with scoreless innings of relief.
Ryan Mountcastle collected a pinch-hit RBI single in his return to the Orioles. The Birds pounded out 17 total hits, collected four walks and scored 15 runs in picking up their fifth straight win.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
The BATTERY ❌-FACTOR for this series was the “Young Guns,” Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser. The success of the series would depend on their production and contributions to the team when they played.
- Adley Rutschman: 2-for-9 (.222), HR, 2 RS, 2 RBIs, BB, 5Ks
- Gunnar Henderson: 3-for-12 (.250), RS, 3 RBIs, 3 BBs, 2Ks
- Jordan Westburg: 3-for-9 (.333), RS, 4 Ks
- Colton Cowser: 2-for-10 (.200), 4 RS, RBI, BB, 2Ks
Though the stats aren’t eye-popping, to say the least, their hits were at key moments, and they seemed to be in the middle of every scenario both defensively and offensively.
Since the promotion of Colton Cowser, the Orioles are 5-0 with at least three of the “Young Guns” playing in each game.
The O’s head into the Break at 54-35, the third best record in baseball, trailing the Rays by two games (tied for losses). As the younger players arrive, it will definitely make for an exciting second half.
Be sure to tune into the Home Run Derby and watch All-Star Adley Rutschman on July 10. On July 11, tune into the All-Star Game and watch first-time All-Stars Rutschman, Austin Hays (starter), Yennier Canó and Félix Bautista.
What do you think of this series sweep of the Twins? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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