Cowser's third straight homer isn't enough in finale
Baltimore took two of three from Tampa Bay behind a Colton Cowser power surge before dropping the finale, and now heads to St. Louis 2.5 games back of the last AL Wild Card spot.
Two of three from the Rays, undone in the finale
Rays5-3Rays3-2Rays1-3The Orioles opened the set August 21 with a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay, backed by Colton Cowser going 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and an RBI against Rays starter Shane Baz, who worked 5.2 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 5 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. Baltimore followed with a 3-2 win the next night to take the series.
The Rays salvaged the finale August 23, beating the Orioles 1-3 to close out the week. That left Baltimore 2-3 over its last five games, a stretch that opened with back-to-back losses to the Yankees before the split with Tampa Bay.
Mr. Beavers' streak reaches three
Barstool Baseball's @StoolBaseball flagged the run after the August 21 win, noting "3 straight games with a homer for Mr. Beavers in Baltimore" — a stretch that included Cowser's 2-for-3 night with a double, a homer and an RBI in that game.
The same account also caught how quickly the Orioles' bats got going in that opener, writing it "took Pete Alonso and the Orioles 2 pitches to get a lead vs the Rays." Two nights later, the power went quiet in the 1-3 finale loss.
Upcoming
The Orioles are in St. Louis tonight, and Chris Bassitt (4-4, 5.08 ERA) gets the ball for Baltimore against Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore (5-11, 5.04 ERA). Bassitt was a no-decision in his last outing, working 5.2 innings against the Yankees with 3 earned runs, 6 strikeouts and a walk allowed on 95 pitches. Liberatore took the loss in his last start against Cincinnati despite striking out 9 over 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs on 100 pitches.
St. Louis is favored at home, and the market's read on the total is low-scoring, which tracks with two starters whose ERAs both sit above 5.00 finding a way to keep this one down. For that number to hold, both bullpens will have to clean up messes their starters are likely to leave behind.